CNN: Tucker Carlson’s Favorability Tanked After Clash With Trump
Charlie Kirk Staff
06/20/2025

If you are a Republican or in the Republican space, it is not wise to take sides against President Donald Trump.
Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson has learned that the hard way as his popularity has fallen tremendously after picking a fight with the president over the Israel-Iran war.
“What do we know about people who stand up against Donald Trump? What happens to their favorability?” CNN anchor John Berman asked of the network’s senior data analyst Harry Enten on Thursday.
“So, this is what we should point out. This is Donald Trump’s GOP, not Tucker Carlson’s. Now, you mentioned, what happens when you go against Donald Trump. I mean this sort of says it, right? We have had these fights in the past. We had it between Mike Pence and, of course, Donald Trump, over the 2020 election. We had it most recently. Elon Musk against Donald Trump,” the analyst said.
“GOP favorables polls, pre and post-Trump fight. Look at this, pre- fight, Mike Pence, very well beloved by Republicans, an 84 percent favorable rating. Look at where he is now, 36 percent. When you go against Donald Trump and you’re a Republican, you go down,” Enten said.
“How about Elon Musk? Remember, he was beloved by Republicans. He had a 78 percent favorable rating with Republicans. But then he fought Donald Trump. And what happened? He went down. The bottom line is this, Donald Trump’s favorable rating stayed steady or actually even went up when he went into these battles against Mike Pence or Elon Musk. Well, if you go up against Donald Trump and you’re a Republican, or Republican affiliated, your favorable ratings with Republicans they go down traditionally speaking,” he said.
“Where do things stand right now for the director of national intelligence and Tucker Carlson? And again, I want to point out, Carlson’s been very public with what he’s saying. Tulsi Gabbard, we haven’t heard from her in a little bit,” the anchor said.
“Yes, this is Donald Trump’s Republican Party. The favorable rating among Republicans, you could see it here, Donald Trump beloved, 88 percent favorable rating among Republicans, near his apex,” Enten said.
“Now, Tucker Carlson is well liked among Republicans, but not anywhere in the same universe as Donald Trump, at 64 percent. Tulsi Gabbard, 55 percent. The bottom line is this, as I said at the beginning, this is Donald Trump’s Republican Party, not Tucker Carlson’s, not Tulsi Gabbards. Republicans, traditionally speaking, go along with Donald Trump. And as we saw in that last slide, when you go against Donald Trump, you go down while Donald Trump stays quite, quite high,” he said.