Tucker Carlson admitted that President Donald Trump’s business dealings in the Middle East reek of “corruption.”
The MAGA pundit offered the criticism after a guest on his podcast, ex-Navy SEAL and right-wing influencer Shawn Ryan, aired his own disappointment with the administration Tuesday.
Ryan said he was pleased by Trump’s effort to stamp out DEI and crack down on immigration, but he was now “losing hope” about the president’s ability to deliver on other issues. He pointed to the administration’s failure to release the Epstein files and to end the war in Russia and Ukraine.
“F— it, I’m gonna get blasted for this,” Ryan said after a pause, “but I see all these negotiations going on in the Middle East, and I don’t know when these buildings were approved or when these deals got done, but then I also see like, ‘Oh, there’s a brand-new hotel going up in Dubai or Abu Dhabi.’”
“I’m like, ‘Did these just get done also with the deals that just happened over there, or was this earlier?’” Ryan said, before telling Carlson, “You would probably know.”
“No, I don’t know. I’ve not made one dollar in the Middle East,” Carlson pushed back. “Not one.”
“Well, you’re a lot more on the inside than I am,” Ryan said.
“No, no, no, I’m just a visitor and a traveler and watcher,” Carlson deflected, before Ryan cut him off, saying: “That stuff kind of worries me.”
“Well, it seems like corruption, yeah,” Carlson admitted.
Carlson, 56, a former Fox News personality, has emerged as a vocal proponent and close ally of Trump during his return to the political mainstream. He has scored several high-profile interview with Trump, including one just days before the 2024 election.
The Trump Organization has continued to expand its footprint in the Middle East since Trump, who has not divested his financial stake in the business, returned to office. The company is currently building a golf resort in Qatar, a hotel in the United Arab Emirates, and a skyscraper in Saudi Arabia.
Earlier this month, Trump embarked on a tour of the Middle East, visiting each of those countries. Repeatedly, he marveled at the luxury in which the nations’ leaders live—gawking at palaces of white marble and solid gold.
The visit was controversial, in part because of Trump’s business interests in the region but also because news had just broke that he planned to accept a $400 million jet gifted to him by Qatari royalty. He intends to use it as Air Force One.
The decision stoked outcry—from critics and supporters alike. MAGA influencer Laura Loomer wrote on X that the news was a “stain on the admin,” despite affirming that she would “take a bullet for Trump.”
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