Carlson called the MAGA hawks "nihilists" and "buffoons" whose priorities were "absolutely willing to destroy the United States."

This time, Cruz was there to try and marginalize a man who is suddenly a big problem for the Trump administration. Carlson has criticized the Trump-backed Israeli strikes on Iran and strongly opposes the US joining in those strikes, which Trump is increasingly considering.

On June 17, Carlson released a clip of his interview with Cruz on X, causing a wild uproar on all sides of the political spectrum. In the clip, Carlson pokes scathing holes in the Texas Senator’s knowledge of Iran, or rather the apparent lack thereof.