Conservative podcaster Tucker Carlson asserted on Friday that President Trump should be removed from office if he is contemplating the first use of nuclear weapons, arguing that even considering such an action should disqualify a president from serving. Carlson stated, “The second any president actively considers the first use of nuclear weapons, that person should be removed from office immediately, because that’s got to be the red line, destroying all of humanity with a nuclear strike” (Yahoo News, 2023).
These remarks were made during a discussion with Joe Kent, the former director of the National Counterterrorism Center who resigned earlier this year in opposition to the war with Iran. Carlson, who previously opposed both impeachment efforts against Trump during his first term, questioned why the same standard of removal would not apply if a president were contemplating a nuclear first strike. He questioned, “Why isn’t there an attempt to remove him from office, like, immediately? Anyone who would even tolerate that kind of talk from any of his subordinates or employees is by definition unfit” (Yahoo News, 2023). Notably, Trump has not publicly indicated that he is considering a first-use nuclear strategy.
Carlson’s comments emerge amid his broader concerns regarding the administration’s approach to Iran and a nuclear strategy currently under development at the Pentagon. Earlier this month, Under Secretary of Defense for policy Elbridge Colby mentioned at a conference that officials are exploring ways to provide the president and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth with “credible, rational nuclear options” (Yahoo News, 2023). Kent expressed apprehension about the administration’s potential actions if conventional military strategies fail to achieve the desired outcomes in Iran, suggesting that the current scenario warrants serious consideration of such possibilities (Yahoo News, 2023).
Source: Tucker Carlson: Trump needs to be removed from office ‘immediately’ (Yahoo News, 2023)