Tucker Carlson said Friday that President Donald Trump should be removed from office “immediately” if he is actively considering the first use of nuclear weapons, calling the possibility an absolute red line for any commander in chief.
Carlson delivered the warning during an extended conversation with Joe Kent, the former director of the National Counterterrorism Center. Kent resigned earlier this year in protest over the war with Iran.
The former Fox News host emphasized that he had strongly opposed both of Trump’s first two impeachments. However, Carlson argued that any president considering the first use of nuclear weapons should be deemed unfit to remain in office.
“The second any president actively considers 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,” Carlson said.
Carlson then questioned why an effort to remove Trump was not already underway if such discussions were taking place inside the administration.
“Why isn’t there an attempt to remove him from office, like, immediately?” Carlson asked. “Anyone who would even tolerate that kind of talk from any of his subordinates or employees is by definition unfit.”
His comments followed a monologue warning that the United States was moving dangerously close to a potential nuclear conflict.
Carlson pointed partly to reported revisions being considered by the Pentagon that would put additional emphasis on tactical nuclear weapons and offer the president more choices for conducting limited nuclear strikes.
Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby previewed the approach during a U.S. Strategic Command conference earlier this month. Colby said officials wanted to provide the president and defense secretary with “credible, rational nuclear options.”
The proposed changes would not establish a new American first-use policy. The United States already reserves the option to use nuclear weapons first under certain circumstances.
Carlson nevertheless argued that Trump’s public warnings about Iran’s “total destruction” effectively represented an implied nuclear threat. In Carlson’s view, destruction on the scale described by the president could not be achieved through conventional military force.
Kent expressed similar concerns about the direction of the administration’s strategy toward Iran.
The former counterterrorism official argued that if the Trump administration remains determined to bring about the collapse of Iran’s government, the limitations of conventional military action could eventually cause officials to consider using a nuclear weapon.
“I think we would be fools to think that this couldn’t happen here in this current scenario, especially as the administration scrambles for a way out,” Kent said.
Carlson’s warning centered on his belief that merely considering a nuclear first strike should trigger immediate action to remove any president from power.
