Buckley Carlson resigns from Vance team as Tucker-Trump Iran feud over ‘Epic Fury’ intensifies
WASHINGTON, DC: The political alliance that helped forge the current White House has fractured at its core.
Buckley Carlson, the son of conservative firebrand Tucker Carlson, has officially resigned from his high-profile post as Deputy Press Secretary for Vice President JD Vance.
The exit, reported first by Politico, marks a "sensational" turning point in the relationship between the administration and its once-most-powerful media ally.
While Vance’s office maintains the departure was a planned transition to allow the younger Carlson to launch a private political consulting firm, the timing is impossible to ignore.
It comes as Buckley’s father, Tucker Carlson, and President Donald J. Trump are locked in a "lethal" public feud over the conduct of the ongoing war in Iran, a conflict the elder Carlson has dubbed the "single biggest mistake" of Trump’s presidency.
Pundit’s ‘anti-war’ lobbying failed to stop strikes
The rift traces back to the final hours before Operation Epic Fury was launched on February 28, 2026.
Tucker Carlson was reportedly one of the few voices inside the Situation Room lobbying against military action.
According to The New York Times, Carlson warned the President that a strike would jeopardize US personnel and send global energy prices into a "historic catastrophe."
Carlson’s most stinging critique focused on the administration’s alliance with Jerusalem, arguing that the President should not be "boxed in" by Benjamin Netanyahu.
He encouraged Trump to restrain the Israeli Prime Minister, claiming that Israel’s desire for a strike was the only reason the US was considering the operation.
When the bombs began to fall, specifically the joint US-Israeli strikes that successfully assassinated Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Carlson broke ties with the MAGA movement, calling the assassination "absolutely disgusting and evil."
Trump punches back at ‘low IQ’ critics
President Trump has not taken the criticism quietly, launching a series of Truth Social broadsides that have systematically dismantled his former alliance with Carlson.
Over the last month, the President has branded Carlson as "low IQ" and "highly overrated," grouping him with other media figures like Megyn Kelly as "nut jobs" and "troublemakers" who are threatening the unity of the conservative coalition.
The escalation reached a fever pitch last week when the President labeled Carlson a "loser" for his stance on the naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
President Trump: “Who's dumber, Tucker Carlson or Joe Kent? It's very interesting! ! met Joe Kent at Dover Air Force Base, along with numerous others who had lost their loved ones in War. I said hello to all of the families. Kent, horribly, lost his wife. Her casket was being… pic.twitter.com/tm5lERwI5X
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) April 16, 2026
Trump maintains that the war was a necessary "surgical strike" to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran, while Carlson argues the conflict is being "waged strictly on behalf of Israel" at the expense of American patriots.
Vance caught between ‘garbage’ and loyalty
The Daily Wire’s Ben Shapiro ATTACKS Vice President JD Vance for not denouncing Tucker Carlson: “So here’s the bottom line: It is not possible to humor low IQ slop and then assume it will not have consequences. Honoring garbage is exacerbating garbage.”
— RedWave Press (@RedWavePress) April 15, 2026
“Laughing along with the… pic.twitter.com/d7KKEyPISP
The resignation of Buckley Carlson places Vice President JD Vance in an increasingly "precarious" position.
Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro argued that one must "feel a little bit bad" for the VP, given that Tucker Carlson was instrumental in his rise to power.
However, Shapiro urged Vance to stop "honoring garbage" like Carlson, warning that the feud could blow up the GOP’s prospects in the upcoming midterms.
