Tucker Carlson Says He Plans to Help Build New Third Party

Conservative commentator Tucker Carlson says he plans to help build a new third party, saying in a recent interview that the country needs another political option and that he would support the effort without running as a candidate himself.

Carlson made the comments in an interview published July 1, after publicly breaking with the Republican Party over foreign policy and President Donald Trump’s handling of Iran. Speaking with Columbia Journalism Review, Carlson said the two major parties are in “lockstep solidarity” on what he called the most important questions in politics, specifically war and finance, and that he was too young to simply accept being “ruled by the most unscrupulous people.”

“That’s not a democracy. That’s a one-party state posing as a democracy, and it needs to be broken, and there’s going to be a third party, and I’m going to do everything I can to bring that about,” Carlson said.

When asked what that would mean in practice, Carlson said he would help build a third party. He also said that such an effort should begin by first determining what benefits the country, saying the federal government should prioritize the general welfare of American citizens. However, Carlson drew the line at being a candidate himself when asked directly if he would consider it.

“Before I did the Times interview, someone said to me, ‘They’re going to ask you if you’re running for president,’” Carlson said. “I was very tempted to say ‘I am running—on the pro-patriarchy ticket.’ Just to make sure I gain no new fans.”

The discussion follows an earlier interview on the podcast “Can’t Be Censored,” where Carlson, who supported Trump in the 2024 presidential race and spent decades as a prominent conservative media voice, said there was “no chance” he would support the Republican Party. He also ruled out support for the Democratic Party, stating at the time he was unsure what he would do next politically.

Carlson is also not the only prominent figure formerly associated with the Republican Party to recently discuss a possible alternative. Former U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, who represented Georgia’s 14th Congressional District before resigning earlier this year, has also spoken about the possibility of a new political party after breaking with Trump and the GOP, though she has said such an effort would likely require several election cycles before becoming viable.