WASHINGTON — Buckley Carlson, son of the well-known conservative commentator Tucker Carlson, has exited Vice President JD Vance’s press team to launch his own political consulting venture. This move comes amid rising tensions between his father and former President Donald Trump.
In his 20s, Buckley Carlson had been serving as the deputy press secretary for Vance since the commencement of Trump’s second presidential term. He joins a wave of former White House staffers transitioning to the private sector.
While such career shifts are common within presidential administrations, Buckley’s decision to leave is particularly significant due to the growing discord between Trump, 79, and Tucker Carlson, 56, an erstwhile strong supporter.
Earlier this month, Trump directed sharp criticism at Tucker, labeling him as a “flailing fool” and questioning his mental state. Trump remarked on Tucker’s past, referencing his departure from Fox News and suggesting he seek psychiatric help.
On Friday, Trump continued his critique of Tucker on the social media platform Truth Social. He shared a story about CNN analyst Harry Enten’s opinion that Trump was prevailing in their public dispute, adding his own commentary, “Tucker is a Low IQ person – Always easy to beat, and highly overrated.”
Despite these attacks, Tucker Carlson has been vocally critical of the Trump administration in recent months, though he has largely avoided directly naming the former president in his criticisms.
Instead, he blamed the president’s allies such as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his grievances, including the war in Iran. Tucker privately lobbied Trump against going to war.
Trump for his part had occasionally swiped at Tucker, calling him “kooky,” among other insults, after the latter dinged the Operation Midnight Hammer attacks on Iran.
But more recently, Trump has seemingly waded into the conservative-podcast wars and sided with radio host Mark Levin against his foes, such as Tucker, Megyn Kelly and Candace Owens.
Tucker in turn told the BBC earlier this month he was “horrified” by the president’s bone-chilling declaration that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if Iran didn’t cut a deal.
“I’ve always liked Trump and still feel sorry for him, as I do for all slaves,” Tucker told Newsmax, claiming that Trump “can’t make his own decisions” and is “hemmed in by other forces.”
News of Buckley’s exit from the Trump administration was first revealed by Politico, which said the son was set to leave the veep’s office last year but stayed on for a few months for transition purposes.
Buckley previously worked for then-Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) in 2019 as his deputy chief of staff.
