STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
This week, we've watched some of the biggest names in the MAGA cinematic universe clash with President Trump over the war. That criticism is raising questions about divides within the president's base, if any. NPR political reporter Elena Moore has been following this. Elena, good morning.
ELENA MOORE, BYLINE: Good morning, Steve.
INSKEEP: How did some Trump supporters respond when the president talked about ending Iranian civilization earlier this week?
MOORE: The most striking examples came from Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly. They've previously voiced concerns about the war, but, Steve, what felt different this week was how much they directed that criticism at Trump. And that's notable. These are people who campaigned...
INSKEEP: Yeah.
MOORE: ...For Trump in 2024. So to see them take the rare step of actively and directly criticizing him may reflect a deep sense of frustration. Before Trump declared a two-week ceasefire, both hosts lashed out against Trump over his threats. In her show Tuesday, Kelly zeroed in on Trump's post on social media where he wrote that Iran's, quote, "whole civilization will die tonight," end quote, unless U.S. demands were met.
(SOUNDBITE OF PODCAST, "THE MEGYN KELLY SHOW")
MEGYN KELLY: This is completely irresponsible and disgusting. I wish he would stop doing this. Like, he can't negotiate without doing this. What does that say about him?
MOORE: We also heard Carlson call Trump's threats about bombing bridges and power plants, quote, "vile on every level." And others, Steve, have gone further. Candace Owens and Marjorie Taylor Greene, for example, both called for Congress to remove Trump from office by invoking the 25th Amendment.
INSKEEP: Elena, as you know very well, occasionally, a Trump supporter will criticize the president. But soon after that, under pressure or for whatever reason, they will moderate their criticism. They will stop repeating it. They'll make it more vague and stop mentioning the president. They'll mention Democrats, too, or they'll just retire. So how much weight should we give to this criticism?
MOORE: Right. It's complicated. I mean, in their latest episodes - Carlson, Kelly - we're hearing them, you know, largely turn their criticism now back to the war itself and U.S. relations with Israel episodes since the ceasefire was announced. But their comments from before the ceasefire was announced still do feel important, Steve, when you just think about how big their audience is and how strong their comments were. Let's look again at Carlson and Kelly. These two host some of the most popular podcasts in the country, each with an average weekly reach of more than 1.6 million, according to Edison Podcast Metrics, and that puts them both in the top 20. And plus, you know, their - the majority of their audience is Trump's core base, and that's Republicans over 45.
INSKEEP: We'll go on right here and mention that this is criticism on a big level, but does it really hurt the president with his base?
MOORE: Well, you know, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked about Trump's threats during the briefing on Wednesday, and she argued that the president's rhetoric has led to results. But I did put that political question of does this hurt the president's standing to Ryan Williams. He's worked for several prominent Republicans over the years. He was a longtime spokesman for Mitt Romney and worked for the George W. Bush White House. But he says Trump has a unique hold over his supporters.
RYAN WILLIAMS: He's been in tune with his base in a way that no other Republican president in my lifetime has been in tune with the base. I mean, he starts with a stronger hand to weather these storms when the criticism occurs.
INSKEEP: How does all this, if at all, affect the midterm elections coming up?
MOORE: Strategists I spoke to say it's too early to know whether the war will hurt the GOP in the midterms, but these high-profile rifts within the MAGA world do underscore something that's going to be increasingly relevant moving forward. Trump is term-limited, and his movement is going to have to figure out what it stands for without him. And the clashing messages about the war, Steve, are an early example of that challenge.
INSKEEP: NPR political reporter Elena Moore. Thanks so much.
MOORE: Thanks, Steve.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARLOS' "MELTDOWN") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
