A forthcoming book by New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan claims Donald Trump privately assured Tucker Carlson and Elon Musk that he would not take the United States into a war with Iran, even as Carlson warned that such a conflict could damage his presidency.
The account appears in Regime Change, which is scheduled for publication in the US on Tuesday. The book describes an Oval Office meeting early last year involving Trump, Carlson and Musk, then a key figure in Trump’s government efficiency push.
What the Book Says Happened in the Oval Office
According to Haberman and Swan, Trump sought Carlson’s input despite Carlson’s public criticism of him. The authors write that Trump believed Carlson still had influence with a significant part of the rightwing base.
Carlson reportedly raised concerns that Trump was being pushed toward a wider conflict with Iran. “They want you to go to war with Iran,” Carlson is quoted as saying. Trump allegedly replied: “We’re not doing that.”