Tucker Carlson criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday for what he called a misleading tribute to Charlie Kirk, saying the Israeli leader’s remarks mischaracterized the late activist’s views on U.S. involvement in Middle Eastern conflicts.
Carlson made the comments during an interview with Vice President JD Vance on an episode of "The Charlie Kirk Show" dedicated to remembering the Turning Point USA founder. "I don't think it's helpful for people to jump in — particularly foreign heads of state — to say 'This is what [Kirk believed], he lived for my cause,' or whatever," Carlson said. "That's disgusting, actually. Don't do that. That turns everybody off and you don't help your own cause by doing that, and it's also literally untrue."
Carlson said Kirk had a "genuine" love for Israel but maintained that the conservative activist opposed a "forever war or regime-change war against Iran." He added that Kirk had privately urged then-President Donald Trump to avoid entangling the United States in broader Middle East conflicts earlier this summer. Carlson has previously suggested Kirk faced pressure from some donors over his non-interventionist stance.
The remarks followed a post on X by Netanyahu, who called Kirk "a lion-hearted friend of Israel" and said he was "murdered for speaking truth and defending freedom." In the post, Netanyahu said he had spoken to Kirk two weeks earlier and had invited him to visit Israel. "Sadly, that visit will not take place. We lost an incredible human being," Netanyahu wrote.
Kirk was shot and killed last week while speaking at Utah Valley University. A suspect, identified by authorities as Tyler Robinson, has been arrested; prosecutors have not yet filed formal charges. Kirk, 34, leaves behind his wife, Erika, and two young children. President Trump and other senior administration officials are expected to attend Kirk's funeral this weekend in Arizona, and Trump has said he plans to posthumously award Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Netanyahu's tribute drew swift attention in conservative circles given Kirk's public support for Israel amid the conflict with Hamas in recent years. At the same time, people close to Kirk and some public statements have underscored his resistance to U.S. military action aimed at regime change in Iran, reflecting a tension between vocal advocacy for Israel and reluctance to endorse wider American military involvement.
Carlson did not explicitly name Netanyahu during his interview, but he framed his criticism as a rebuke of foreign leaders using an American political figure’s death to advance their own causes. His comments add to a public debate over how political figures are remembered and how their views are invoked after their deaths.