Scholar Victor Davis Hanson suggested that former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene and conservative commentator Tucker Carlson misjudged their relationships with former President Donald Trump, leading to their respective fallings-out with the commander-in-chief. Hanson, speaking on the podcast “Pod Force One,” posited that Greene and Carlson interpreted Trump's charm and generosity as an opening to offer him unsolicited policy advice.
"I think they felt that because they had been very intimate with [Trump] — in the sense that they had been at Mar-a-Lago, or they were on Air Force One — that they insidiously began to think that they could tell him things, and they forgot that he is the president of the United States," Hanson told host Miranda Devine, a columnist for the New York Post.
Hanson, a scholar at Stanford University's Hoover Institution and author of "The Counter Revolution: The Fall and Rise of Donald Trump and the MAGA Movement," noted that Trump's public persona is often at odds with his private demeanor. He described Trump as someone who is warm and engaging in private, calling people to check in and offer support. This magnanimity, Hanson suggested, may have led Greene, Carlson, and others to believe they had a greater influence than they did.
"You don’t go to the next step and say, ‘Hey, Mr. President,’ you don’t say, ‘Hey, Don,’ or ‘Hey, this,’ and you wouldn’t assume that you had control," Hanson explained. He contended that this misinterpretation of Trump's informal approach led to a "snap back" when they overstepped, resulting in anger when their advice was not heeded.
Hanson specifically referenced Greene's criticism of the Trump administration's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files. He stated that Greene, by repeatedly calling the president and attempting to dictate actions, did not fully appreciate the extent of Trump's power. Hanson suggested that Trump could have used his influence to affect Greene's political standing, such as her ability to secure a party nomination, if she crossed him.
"He doesn’t warn you. He doesn’t correct you and say, ‘I’m president, Victor. I’m president.’ Because you know that, and the people who know that, I think, can get along with him much better," Hanson said, referring to Trump's private interactions. He suggested that those who understand this distinction and do not presume undue influence are better able to maintain a positive relationship with the former president.