Tucker Carlson lashed out at the Trump administration over a $2.8 billion arms sale to Israel in a lengthy social media post on Tuesday, saying there is no “justification” for the move while calling out lawmakers he says have taken “millions from the Israel lobby.”
Carlson, who was dismissed from Fox News in 2023 after being a central figure in the network’s $787.5 million defamation settlement with Dominion Voting Systems, was once an ardent supporter of President Donald Trump. He has increasingly criticized the administration over foreign policy moves. He has visited Israel during the war in Gaza and has been a vocal critic of U.S. support for Israel.
In the post on X, he said the new arms deal represents sending more than “40,000 tons of bombs” and “only public outrage can stop” the current administration’s dealings with Israel.
His comments came shortly after a U.S. official confirmed to The Washington Post that a $2.8 billion package of 40,000 bombs, 20,000 MK-84s and 20,000 BLU-117s to Israel was forthcoming. According to multiple reports, the deal has been sent to congressional committees for approval.
Israel is among the largest recipients of U.S. military aid. Recent polling, however, shows declining support among some Americans for Israel’s military operations in Gaza and for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Carlson has regularly targeted the administration over Israel and other foreign policy moves, including calling for Trump to be removed from office over his moves in Iran.
Trump’s handling of foreign policy issues has exposed divisions within his political coalition. Some supporters aligned with the “America First” movement have argued that the U.S. should avoid deeper involvement in overseas conflicts, including the war in Gaza, and instead focus on domestic priorities.
A senior Trump administration official told Newsweek on Tuesday, “All foreign arms sales are moving through the appropriate process. We do not comment on pending sales,” and a State Department official told Newsweek, “As a matter of policy, the Department does not confirm or comment on proposed arms sales until they have been formally notified to Congress.”
Newsweek has reached out to the State Department, Pentagon, White House, the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for comment and confirmation via email on Tuesday.
What Did Tucker Carlson Say?
“According to an informed federal official, in the coming months the Trump administration plans to send a total of 40,000 Mark 84 and Blu-117 bombs to the government of Israel,” Carlson wrote on X. “Each bomb weighs 2,000 pounds.”
MK 84 bombs
He continues by discussing the “destruction radius” of MK 84s and accusing Netanyahu of committing “genocide” in Gaza.
Carlson said the sale “appears to be the largest transfer of conventional explosive ordnance from the United States in modern history” and referenced U.S. actions in World War II as a comparison.
US-made 2,000-pound MK84 bombs were reportedly used in strike that killed Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, near Beirut
Carlson also tied the sale to the war in Iran, saying, “If you wanted to extend the Iran war into the indefinite future, this is exactly what you’d do.”
He said that Israel’s actions were “so grotesque and embarrassing that for a moment the Biden administration paused a shipment of Mark 84s.”
The Biden administration had previously halted the delivery of about 1,800 of the bombs and another 1,700 smaller 500-pound bombs.
“I made it clear that if they enter Rafah—and they haven’t entered Rafah yet—if they do, I will not supply the weapons that have historically been used to address the situation in Rafah and other cities,” Biden said during a CNN interview in May 2024. Trump resumed the shipments once he took office months later.
Near the end of his post, the political provocateur singled out Senators from both parties and called them “neocons.”
“At this point, only four more people need to sign off before the bombs ship to Israel: Senators Jim Risch and Jeanne Shaheen, the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; and Congressmen Brian Mast and Gregory Meeks, the top two members of the equivalent House committee,” Carlson wrote. “All four are committed neocons. Collectively they’ve taken millions from the Israel lobby. In 2015, Brian Mast traveled to Israel to volunteer for the Israeli military. In 2023, Mast showed up in the House of Representatives wearing an IDF uniform.”
He closed by saying, “Only public outrage can stop this.”
Newsweek
