President Donald Trump fired off an extraordinary Truth Social tirade on Thursday directed at some right wing commentators who have broken ranks over their concerns about his war in Iran. Trump’s post, which was 482 words long, called out ex-Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, conspiracy theory broadcasters Alex Jones and Candace Owens, and the former Fox News hosts Megyn Kelly and Tucker Carlson.
“They have one thing in common, Low IQs. They’re stupid people, they know it, their families know it, and everyone else knows it, too!” Trump declared in the post, which extensively featured non-standard grammar and punctuation. “Look at their past, look at their record. They don’t have what it takes, and they never did! They’ve all been thrown off Television, lost their Shows, and aren’t even invited on TV because nobody cares about them, they’re NUT JOBS, TROUBLEMAKERS, and will say anything necessary for some ‘free’ and cheap publicity.”
Trump has faced a rare level of opposition from the right in the weeks since late February when he launched strikes against Iran in conjunction with Israel. The war, which was clearly out of step with Trump’s campaign promise to avoid foreign military conflicts, angered both the non-interventionist wing of his MAGA movement and far right antisemites who are disturbed by the U.S.’s relationship with Israel. Those tensions have mounted as Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz has caused oil prices to spike and threatened large-scale economic disruption.
On Tuesday, after Trump threatened to launch an attack that would destroy Iran’s “whole civilization” if that country did not make a deal with him, both Greene and Owens called for his removal from office, joining a chorus of congressional Democrats calling for the same. Jones accused Trump of threatening “genocide” and said the president sounded “like an unhinged super villain from a Marvel comic movie.” Carlson —who was the top rated host in Fox News’ primetime lineup prior to his ouster in 2023 amid a series of controversies that included his promotion of content with white supremacist themes — encouraged military officials to disobey orders from Trump, whose conduct he dubbed “evil.” Trump’s threat culminated in a ceasefire deal with Iran that was largely dictated by that country. Kelly, who left Fox News for a poorly rated run at NBC in 2017 before turning to podcasting, had declared that Trump’s agreement with Iran “sounds very much like surrender.”
In his social media attack on the critics, Trump painted them as opportunists who were no longer allied with his movement.
“They think they get some ‘clicks’ because they have Third Rate Podcasts, but nobody’s talking about them, and their views are the opposite of MAGA,” Trump wrote.
Apparently unaware of the contradiction inherent in claiming no one is discussing these commentators while simultaneously addressing them from the White House, Trump went on to make various personal attacks against each of his critics for, among other things, their levels of education and professional achievement. This included mocking Owens, who was sued for defamation after falsely claiming France’s First Lady, Brigitte Macron, was born a man.
“To me, the First Lady of France is a far more beautiful woman than Candace, in fact, it’s not even close!” Trump wrote.
While the growing dissent among right wing figures is especially notable, Trump’s threat to eliminate Iran’s “civilization” also spurred mounting calls for his removal from Democrats. Overall, polls show most Americans oppose the war in Iran. That includes majorities of Democrats and independent voters. Despite the criticism from the far right that has drawn Trump’s ire, most Republicans are supportive of the war effort. Still, the opposition to the conflict and concerns about rising gas prices have helped drag Trump’s approval rating to a record low.
Trump concluded his extraordinary diatribe by insisting the war is not actually a reversal of his vision for the country. He also suggested anyone who thinks otherwise doesn’t understand his “MAGA” platform.
“MAGA is about WINNING and STRENGTH in not allowing Iran to have Nuclear Weapons. MAGA is about MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN,” Trump wrote, adding, “These people have no idea how to do that, BUT I DO, because THE UNITED STATES IS NOW THE ‘HOTTEST’ COUNTRY ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD!“
