Key keywords: Donald Trump, Tucker Carlson, Iran war claims, exclusive political news, Republican internal rift, 2024 US presidential election, US Middle East foreign policy, conservative media feud This exclusive report, first obtained by U.S. political news outlet The Hill from a backstage interview recording at Donald Trump’s Ohio campaign rally on June 12, 2024, captures the unprecedented public break between the former president and his once-closest media ally Tucker Carlson. The feud erupted after Carlson claimed during a recent episode of his independent streaming show on X (formerly Twitter) that “multiple high-level inside sources have confirmed Trump has already approved a full-scale military strike against Iran within the first 90 days of his second term, should he win the 2024 election.” When asked to respond to Carlson’s allegations during the post-rally interview, Trump reacted with uncharacteristic anger, directly attacking the former Fox News host’s intelligence. “That guy is a low-IQ person. He has no idea what he’s talking about, he makes up facts out of thin air just to get views for his failing little streaming service,” Trump stated on record. He went on to cite his first-term track record on foreign policy to refute the claims, noting that he was the first U.S. president in decades to avoid launching any new foreign wars, and that he deliberately pulled back from a planned 2020 retaliatory strike against Iran after learning it would kill an estimated 150 civilian bystanders. “I have always pushed back against the Washington war mongers who want to waste trillions of dollars and thousands of American lives on endless wars in the Middle East. The idea that I would start a war with Iran is completely, totally made up,” Trump added. Carlson, who was the highest-rated host on Fox News before his 2023 departure, spent years as one of Trump’s most vocal public defenders, regularly using his prime time slot to amplify Trump’s policy agenda and push back against criticism from both Democrats and establishment Republicans. In recent months, however, he has repeatedly criticized Trump’s campaign, including questioning his stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict and making uncorroborated claims about his policy plans for a second term. Political analysts note that the public rift highlights deepening divides within the Republican Party over foreign policy, pitting Trump’s non-interventionist base against traditional neoconservative factions that favor more aggressive military action in the Middle East. As of press time, Carlson has not issued a direct response to Trump’s “low-IQ” insult, but teased in a social media post on June 13 that he will release “documented, verifiable evidence” to support his Iran war claims during a special episode of his show set to air next week. Trump’s campaign team has since released a formal statement doubling down on the former president’s anti-war record, and accusing Carlson of spreading deliberate disinformation to erode Trump’s support among anti-war conservative voters ahead of the November general election.