Tucker Carlson on Neocons vs. Trump's Iran Peace Deal, and "Hate Speech" Censorship, Plus Lindsey Graham's Primary Challenger | Ep. 1312
Episode of The Megyn Kelly Show · May 7, 2026 · 1 h 41 min
Megyn Kelly and Tucker Carlson discuss neocon opposition to a possible U.S.–Iran deal, a House resolution on antisemitic speech, and Trump; Mark Lynch discusses challenging Lindsey Graham.
Summary
Megyn Kelly opened with Axios reporting that the U.S. and Iran might be nearing a deal to end the war, and the negative reaction from commentators such as Mark Levin, Mark Thiessen and Ben Shapiro. Tucker Carlson argued that remaining in the war would only worsen economic damage, that Iran's control of the Strait of Hormuz is a permanent geographic fact, that only a coherent Iranian state can guarantee shipping, and that Israel's goal is chaos rather than a pro-Western regime. He contended that the real pressure on Trump comes from major donors such as Miriam Adelson and Paul Singer, citing the $10 million spent against Rep. Thomas Massie, and said Trump had privately shown no enthusiasm for the war before it began. Kelly attributed Trump's decision to hubris and noted his record-low approval ratings.
The two criticized a bipartisan House resolution introduced by Reps. Josh Gottheimer and Mike Lawler, discussed on Jake Tapper's CNN program, condemning antisemitic rhetoric by online personalities including Hasan Piker, Candace Owens and Carlson. Both characterized it as a push for censorship contrary to the First Amendment. Carlson said he regretted urging people to vote for Trump on a no-more-wars platform but would not have voted for Kamala Harris, and warned against organizing one's life around Trump. They also discussed a DOJ and CFTC probe into suspicious oil trades timed ahead of Trump announcements, Carlson's view that commodity markets appear manipulated, layoffs at The Daily Wire, backlash to Kelly's comments reconsidering anti-Muslim rhetoric, Carlson's New York Times interview dominated by questions about Nick Fuentes, and his brother Buckley Carlson.
In the second segment, South Carolina Senate candidate Mark Lynch argued he could defeat Lindsey Graham in the June 9 Republican primary, citing an endorsement from dropped-out candidate Paul Danz and an informed-ballot poll, and criticized Graham's voting record, abortion stance and hawkishness, attributing Graham's survival to open primaries. Kelly closed by praising Spencer Pratt's performance in the Los Angeles mayoral debate against Karen Bass and Nithya Raman and endorsing him.
Chapters
- 0:00
Neocon reaction to a possible Iran deal
Kelly introduces Axios reporting on a potential U.S.–Iran deal and Carlson argues the war offers no better outcome by continuing.
- 4:29
Israel, the blockade and the Strait of Hormuz
Carlson argues Israel depends entirely on U.S. military backing and that Iran's control of Hormuz is a permanent geographic reality.
- 16:14
Pro-war commentators and donor influence
Clips from Hugh Hewitt, John Podhoretz and Ben Shapiro prompt Carlson to argue that donors, not pundits, are driving pressure on Trump.
- 24:10
The campaign against Thomas Massie
A Massie clip on Israel-lobby spending leads to discussion of attacks on Massie and Joe Kent by Trump and his consultants.
- 29:26
Why Trump went to war
Kelly cites Trump's falling approval and suggests hubris, while Carlson recounts private conversations in which Trump seemed to dread the war.
- 36:20
The antisemitic-speech resolution and censorship
Kelly and Carlson criticize the Gottheimer–Lawler resolution and Jake Tapper's coverage as a threat to free speech.
- 51:31
Regrets about endorsing Trump
Carlson explains he regrets promoting Trump as anti-war but would never have voted for Harris, and warns against obsessing over Trump.
- 1:00:14
Oil trade investigations and market manipulation
Kelly details the probe into well-timed oil bets and Carlson argues commodity prices no longer reflect fundamentals.
- 1:03:30
Daily Wire layoffs and backlash over Islam comments
Carlson attributes Daily Wire's troubles to contempt for its audience, and both respond to attacks over their comments on Muslims.
- 1:17:04
The New York Times interview and Buckley Carlson
Carlson discusses his interview dominated by Nick Fuentes questions, and the two praise his brother Buckley.
- 1:27:18
Mark Lynch's challenge to Lindsey Graham
Lynch lays out polling, Graham's record and South Carolina's open primary as he seeks to unseat Graham.
- 1:35:25
Spencer Pratt in the LA mayoral debate
Kelly plays and praises clips of Spencer Pratt sparring with Karen Bass and Nithya Raman and endorses him.
Key points
What was said, by whom, with the exact words. Timestamps jump to the moment.
- Tucker Carlson
Carlson observes that large oil futures bets tend to be placed right before Axios reports on an imminent end to the war.
“every time axios announces an imminent end to the war a lot of people make huge bets on oil futures right before it comes out”
Listen from 2:25 · Iran war oil futures trading investigation
- Tucker Carlson
Carlson argues that Israel could not sustain a blockade or defend itself without the U.S. military.
“israel could not sustain a blockade or defend itself for 24 hours without the 1.5 trillion dollar u.s military backstopping it”
- Megyn Kelly
Kelly says she no longer trusts Trump's statements about the war because he has repeatedly declared it over.
“I don't trust a word President Trump says about this anymore. He's told us 31 times that the Iran war is over”
- Tucker Carlson
Carlson argues that regime change would not secure shipping because only a coherent Iranian state can guarantee the shipping lane.
“do failed states make for secure shipping lanes just the opposite only a coherent state whether you like that state or not can guarantee a shipping lane”
- Tucker Carlson
Carlson contends that Israel's aim in Iran is chaos and civil war rather than a pro-Western government.
“The Israeli goal is not putting in a pro-Western regime. They know that's impossible. They're not stupid. The Israeli goal is chaos”
- Tucker Carlson
Carlson believes pressure on Trump to continue the war comes from major donors rather than media pundits.
“I do think this is coming from donors. I think it's coming from Miriam Adelson and Paul Singer”
- Thomas Massie
Massie says at least 95% of the $10 million spent against him came from Israel-aligned lobbies and donors.
“It's come from billionaires and 95% of it, at least 95% has come from the Israeli lobbies”
- Tucker Carlson
Carlson recounts that Trump, in private conversations before the war, understood its consequences and showed no enthusiasm for it.
“Trump didn't want to start this war. He was fully informed about the consequences of it. I talked to him about it”
- Megyn Kelly
Kelly attributes Trump's decision to launch the war to hubris following earlier military successes.
“My own belief, just having watched Trump for many years now— is it was just hubris, Tucker”
- Megyn Kelly
Kelly argues the resolution's call for platforms to act against hate amounts to censorship.
“This is the government calling on social media platforms and other government officials to, quote, condemn hate and stop the hate. What does that mean? That means censorship”
Listen from 38:45 · House resolution condemning antisemitic rhetoric by online personalities
Linked moment · 43:16Skip to 43:16 using a listen link in the info box.
Tucker CarlsonCarlson says efforts to scrub people from the internet over their views clearly violate the First Amendment.
“It's completely in contravention of the First Amendment. It's the most obvious violation of the First Amendment”
- Tucker Carlson
Carlson predicts that internet censorship of Israel criticism will succeed.
“They're absolutely going to censor the Internet, of course, at the urging of the Israeli government using our tax dollars”
- Tucker Carlson
Carlson says he does not regret choosing Trump over Harris but regrets promoting him as a no-more-wars candidate.
“What I feel bad about is getting up and saying, you know, vote for Trump, no more wars. And that just turned out not to be true”
- Tucker Carlson
Carlson argues that people who organize their lives around loving or hating Trump become irrational.
“people who organize their lives around Trump, pro or con, don't tend to thrive. They tend to become irrational”
- Tucker Carlson
Carlson argues that commodity prices during the Hormuz closure suggest markets are being manipulated.
“Clearly. International markets, equities markets, commodities markets are not what we thought they were”
Listen from 1:01:22 · Iran war oil futures trading investigation
- Tucker Carlson
Carlson attributes The Daily Wire's layoffs to insufficient demand for its content.
“There's an awful lot of daily wire and not a lot of people want to consume it”
- Megyn Kelly
Kelly says she has come to believe much anti-Muslim rhetoric originates with strongly pro-Israel voices.
“a lot of the anti-Muslim rhetoric that's put out there originates with people who are very, very pro-Israel who kind of need us to demonize them”
- Tucker Carlson
Carlson says he told the New York Times he wishes he had never interviewed Nick Fuentes.
“And I said to her, I wish I'd never interviewed that kid”
Listen from 1:17:31 · Tucker Carlson interview of Nick Fuentes
- Mark Lynch
Lynch says third-place candidate Paul Danz, polling at 11%, withdrew and endorsed him.
“He took his name off the ballot, he endorsed me, and he was at 11 percent”
Listen from 1:29:01 · 2026 United States Senate election in South Carolina
- Mark Lynch
Lynch criticizes Lindsey Graham's voting record as failing on conservative and constitutional scorecards.
“his conservative lifetime voting record is 43 percent, failing. His constitutional voting record is 57 percent, failing”
Listen from 1:30:25 · 2026 United States Senate election in South Carolina
- Mark Lynch
Lynch attributes Graham's repeated reelection partly to South Carolina's open primaries allowing Democratic crossover votes.
“we have open primaries of all things. So we don't require party registration”
Listen from 1:33:15 · 2026 United States Senate election in South Carolina
- Megyn Kelly
Kelly argues Spencer Pratt came across as likable and confidence-inspiring in the mayoral debate.
“If you're anything other than a hard leftist, he is likable and he instills confidence”
People
In the conversation
- Megyn KellyConservative broadcaster and podcaster
- Tucker CarlsonConservative broadcaster cited as part of right-wing media
- Mark LynchSouth Carolina businessman and Republican U.S. Senate candidate challenging Lindsey Graham
- Thomas MassieKentucky congressman facing a Trump-backed primary challenge
Discussed
- Donald TrumpPresident of the United States whose conduct of the Iran war is the episode's main subject
- Benjamin NetanyahuPrime Minister of Israel
- Mark LevinConservative radio host who pressed for strikes on Iran
- Mark ThiessenFox News commentator quoted praising the Iran operation
- Miriam AdelsonIsrael-first megadonor said to own an Israeli newspaper that ran a hit piece on Vance
- Paul SingerHedge fund billionaire and Republican donor
- Joe KentFormer U.S. official who resigned and disputed stated motives for the Iran conflict
- Candace OwensConservative commentator and podcaster cited as a top-ranked show
- Hasan PikerLeft-wing streamer at the center of a Democratic Party controversy
- Nick FuentesAmerican far-right streamer and political commentator
- Lindsey GrahamU.S. Senator named by Kelly as an advocate for the Iran war
- Nithya RamanLos Angeles city councilmember and democratic socialist mayoral candidate
- Rupert MurdochMedia mogul cited as pushing for the war
- Marco RubioU.S. Secretary of State who defended the Iran campaign at a cabinet meeting
- John McCainLate Republican senator discussed by Buckley Carlson
- Paul DanzFormer South Carolina Senate candidate who endorsed Mark Lynch
Topics
- United States war with Iran
- Israel lobby in the United States
- House resolution condemning antisemitic rhetoric by online personalities
- Strait of Hormuz
- American Israel Public Affairs Committee
- Thomas Massie 2026 primary challenge
- Freedom of speech in the United States
- Donald Trump approval rating
- Iran war oil futures trading investigation
- 2026 United States Senate election in South Carolina
- 2026 Los Angeles mayoral election
- The Daily Wire
- Tucker Carlson interview of Nick Fuentes
- Homelessness in Los Angeles
- Kharg Island
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From the publisher
Megyn Kelly is joined by Tucker Carlson, host of "The Tucker Carlson Show," to discuss reporting that the U.S. and Iran may be close to a deal to end the war, backlash from neocons furious about the possibility of de-escalation, the truth about the money and political influence behind efforts to keep the Iran war going, the push from pro-war voices to try to reach Trump before a deal is reached, bipartisan efforts to censor so-called “hate speech,” corporate media and Jake Tapper backing the crackdown attempt, why obsessing over Donald Trump either from love or hate is unhealthy, why Tucker would vote for Trump again over "dumb" Kamala, absurd backlash over their recent comments about Islam, why it's important to be self-reflective about whether you've been manipulated by the establishment press and elites, and more. Then Mark Lynch, GOP U.S. senate candidate in South Carolina, joins to discuss how he plans to defeat Lindsey Graham, why he believes "traitor" Graham needs to go, the state of the race, and more. And Megyn closes out with why she's supporting Spencer Pratt for LA mayor after his fantastic debate, the best moments of him sparring with Mayor Bass and the "failure" council member, and more. Birch Gold: Text MK to 989898 for a free info kit and to see if you qualify for up to $10,000 back through May 29. DailyLook: https://dailylook.com to take your style quiz and use code MEGYN for 50% off your first order. Herald Group: Learn more at https://GuardYourCard.com Brooklyn Bedding: Upgrade your sleep with Brooklyn Bedding—Visit https://brooklynbedding.com and use promo code MEGYN for 30% off sitewide!
Summary, chapters and key points were generated from the episode transcript on September 27, 2026. Quotes are checked word for word against the transcript.