The Philip DeFranco Show - The Trump Tucker Carlson Situation Is Insane & The Iran War Is Making It Worse

Episode Date: March 16, 2026

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The first thing that we've got to talk about is we are now more than two weeks into the U.S. and Israel's war in Iran. The death toll is rising, the fallout is growing, and Donald Trump? He is asking for help from allies that he has continuously insulted, bullied, and threatened. And as he continues to make threats, at least some are now refusing to get roped in, and the president, he might be considering another option. U.S. troops on the ground, and so let's start there. Because it's believe that any potential ground operation, it's likely to target a place called Card Island. And the military actually just attacked it for the first time during this war on Friday,

with Trump announcing operation on social media and claiming, the United States Central Command executed one of the most powerful bombing raids in the history of the Middle East. And added, for reasons of decency, I had chosen not to wipe out the oil infrastructure on the island. However, should Iran or anyone else do anything to interfere with the free and safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, I will immediately reconsider this decision? And with that, the next day, sentcom confirmed what was described as a large-scale precision strike, saying, U.S. forces successfully struck more than 90 Iranian military targets while preserving the oil infrastructure.

Now, last part's key because Kark Island, which is located roughly 15 miles off the coast of Iran, it is home to facilities that export 90% of the country's oil. So taking out that infrastructure, it would be a massive blow to the regime there. But it would also very likely throw the markets into even more chaos. It could cripple whatever hypothetical new government would take power if that's a thing that actually happens. And it would make it harder for the U.S. to benefit from Iran's oil in a Venezuela-style scenario that Trump is reportedly pushed for. With all that, you still had Trump telling NBC on Saturday that the strikes there had totally demolished most of the island and that the U.S. hit it a few more times just for fun.

But you then also had a senior White House official telling Axios, no one should read into anything more than what the president announced and that the president has made no decisions on Carg Island. But that official also said that could change if the effort to clear the straight drags on. Saying the president is not going to wait around

and let the Iranians dictate the pace of the conflict. And so with that, we're now seeing reports that Trump is seriously considering trying to seize Carg Island. And he's reportedly drawn to this idea because it would constitute a quote, economic knockout of the regime, essentially defunding the Iranian government without all the downsides of destroying the oil

infrastructure there. But of course, there are still downsides. One, the move would require U.S. boots on the ground there. Two, we could still push Iran to launch even more aggressive strikes against oil facilities and pipelines across the region, especially in Saudi Arabia. Despite the risks, the U.S. is now deploying 25,000 more Marines to the Middle East, adding to the 50,000 already there. While officials declined to say what their mission actually is, they're reportedly equipped to join a potential operation to seize the island. And notably, that's not the only boots on the ground scenario being considered. The U.S. and Israel have also reportedly discussed sending special forces into Iran to secure its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

And two American officials told NBC news last week that Trump has privately expressed a serious interest in deploying troops inside Iran. Either for an operation like that or one aimed at enabling the U.S. to benefit from Iran's oil production, like what came out of the operation in Venezuela. Trump also claimed in that NBC interview this weekend that Iran is ready to negotiate a ceasefire,

but he's not ready to make a deal. But Iran's foreign minister then told CBS news that his country was ready to defend ourselves as long as it takes and denied Trump's claim that Iran wanted to make a deal, saying, we never asked for a ceasefire and we have never asked even for negotiation. And with that, you know, despite Trump's threats? He insisted that Iran would continue to lock down the street of Hormuz as long as necessary,

saying the strait is open but closed to our enemies, to those who carried out this cowardly aggression against us and to their allies. And with that, you've now had several non-Iranian oil tankers, including from India, Pakistan, and Turkey, getting permission to go through the street. Which is actually very notable because until now, Iran had been fully blocking Gulf countries from exporting their oil while only allowing tankers picking up Iranian oil to pass really.

We're keeping its own supply flowing to American adversaries, including China, which is the biggest buyer of Iranian oil. And you have many experts saying that as long as the blockade holds, Trump may not be able to end the war even if he wanted to. Iran starting to pick and choose who they're letting through, it might actually give them more leverage. Especially if traditional U.S. allies decide that negotiating with Iran directly is the better move, rather than having to rely on Trump and actually on that note,

you had Trump claiming on a social media post over the weekend that the U.S. and several other countries will send warships to the Gulf to reopen commercial shipping. And with that he also called on China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others to send ships so that the Hormuz Strait will no longer be a threat by a nation that has been totally decapitated and adding. In the meantime, the United States will be bombing the hell out of the shoreline and continually shooting Iranian boats and ships out of the water. One way or the other, we will soon get the Hormuz Strait open, safe, and free. With the men following up a few hours later, saying, the countries of the world that receive oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage and we will help a lot.

The U.S. will also coordinate with those countries so that everything goes quickly, smoothly, and well. They should have always been a team effort, and now it will be. It will bring the world together toward harmony, security, and everlasting peace. But then you had Trump demanding that NATO countries help the U.S. secure the straight while telling the financial times, it will be very bad for the future of NATO if they refuse. Words that were seen by many is a threat. With that, while, you know, he claimed that he was getting a good response. So far, at least, as of me recording this, no country is publicly committed.

And in fact, some of outright rejected the idea. Right with Germany's defense minister, for example, saying, this is not our war. We did not start it. What does Donald Trump expect from, say, a handful or two of European frigates in the Strait of Hormo He needs them to achieve what the mighty US Navy cannot manage on its own there. Is that it? That's the question I'm asking myself. You also had a spokesperson for the government confirming that there would be no German involvement and pointing out that Trump started this war without them saying,

I would also like to remind you that the US and Israel did not consult us before the war and that Washington explicitly stated at the start of the war that European assistance was neither necessary nor desired. Now, with all that said, the UK is apparently considering sending ships and mine hunting drones to help out. We also had Prime Minister Kier Starmor saying that he urged a swift resolution to the conflict and insisted that his country would not be drawn into wider war. And while France has previously said that it would be willing to escort once the security situation stabilizes, that just doesn't seem to be the case yet. And you've actually had the country along with Italy asking to talk with Iran

about allowing their ships to pass through the strait. Which shows that, you know, some countries are looking for ways to protect their shipping and their energy without Trump. But also, of course, in the meantime, the war just continues. Overall, more than 2,100 people have reportedly been killed so far, including 1,300 Iranian civilians, 850 people in Lebanon, 13 American service members, and at least 12 people in Israel. And today, U.S. and Israeli forces have continued to bombarding

barred Iran while Iranian counterattacks across the region have kept up as well. And notably, with all this, you had an Israeli spokesperson telling reporters, there are detailed operational plans for the war with Iran for the next three weeks, along with additional plans extending further. Although what the timeline is actually going to be, that still remains unknown right now. With Trump saying that the war will end when he feels it in his bones, as experts also warn that he's risking getting trapped in a cycle of escalation that might not end anytime soon. And then also, regardless of what happens with Iran, Israel's war in Lebanon, that might continue independently. Right today, officials said they were yet again expanding their offensive.

against Hezbollah there, saying that the military was moving into new areas without giving new details. Although there are also fears that it's really just laying the groundwork for occupying large parts of the country. And then also, as we've talked about before, the near perpetual violence in Palestinian territories, that's not let up during all of this either. In fact, just over the past few days, Israeli forces killed at least 12 Palestinians between the West Bank and Gaza. At first, you had troops shooting and killing four members of the same family, including two young children in the West Bank, with Israeli authorities claiming the vehicle had accelerated toward the troops who feared for their safety and opened fire. And then in Gaza, an airstrike killed eight police officers affiliated with the Hamas-controlled government, according to the Gaza's interior ministry.

And then, while the growing fallout with Trump's war in Iran, it continues to take lives, the war inside of his own party is growing as well. And when I say that it's gotten messier. It even involves Trump weighing in on micro-penes allegations. The two main players there being Megan Kelly and Mark Levin, right? And you know, Megan Kelly is a former Fox news host or an independent conservative commentator who really wanted to share that she cares about the nuance in the definition of pedophile. And then Mark Levin, he's a conservative radio host and Fox News hosts and Trump actually appointed him to Homeland Security Advisory Council last year. But Mark and Megan, they have very different ideas about this war.

Megan's been very critical of it, saying that we are fighting this war for Israel, that U.S. troops are dying for foreign interests. Mark on the first day of the war, he praised Trump and our quote, wonderful Israeli allies for fighting a righteous and monumentally important battle for freedom, security, and humanity. And while notably, like, this is not the first issue they had clashed on, things really took a turn over the weekend when Mark took issue with some of the content that Megan was reposting. Right, including one tweet claiming of the man who attacked a Michigan synagogue had lost family members in a recent Israeli attack in Lebanon. Just for context sake, the New York Times has since backed that up, saying that the man's brother was a Hezbollah commander, killed in an airstrike. And three other relatives who reportedly killed in the attack as well. But Mark, he was not happy about Megan's choice to retweet that.

And so he shared a pose condemning Megan, claiming that she was using her platform to imply that the Michigan attack was excusable or justified. Or with him calling her evil, diabolical, and gone to which Megan shot back, I'm sorry you have a micro penis, Mark, but don't drag the rest of us into your drama. With things just kind of deba-balling from there, with Mark calling Megan an emotionally unhinged, lewd and petulant wreck who has completely revealed and destroyed herself, saying she's everything people says she is, but much worse. And so Megan then just double down on the micropenus stuff, dubbing him micro penis, Mark, and claiming he tweets about me obsessively in the crudest, nastiest terms possible. Literally more than some stalkers I've had arrested. He doesn't like it when

women like me fight back because of his micropenus. With her then going on a claim that Mark has shit posted about her over a hundred times since November, but she's only responded six times at first asking him to tone it down before he get some killed. And then you also had Mark calling her a harlot who wakes up and has micro penises on her mind. And so you then also saw a ton of people responding to what was happening. Everyone weighing in, but easily the biggest name was Donald Trump himself. With Trump, coming to the defense of Mark Levin, calling him a truly great American patriot who is somewhat under siege by other people with far less intellect capability and love for our country. And the president then adding, he is a true

conservative and intellect far smarter than those who criticize him. When you hear others unfairly attack Mark, remember that they are jealous and angry human beings who sway is much less than the public understands and will, now that they know where I stand, rapidly diminish. Those people that speak ill of Mark will quickly fall by the wayside, as do the people whose ideas, policies, and footings are not sound. They are not MAGA, I am, and MAGA includes not allowing Iran, a sick, demented, and violent terrorist regime to have a nuclear weapon to blow up the United States of America. And so Mark then thanked Trump for the Post saying that he was humbled and honored by the message. But then he had Megan, seemingly not believing that it was an authentic message,

writing that Micro penis Mark is such a small man, he had to go beg the president for a pat on the head in the middle of a war to make himself feel better about, well, you know, just like all feckless, weakling bullies, micro can dish it out, but he can't take it. He ran crying to daddy. And well, Mark has denied asking Trump to make that post. Regardless, that post itself has generated then a lot of reactions. Because it showed Trump weighing in on the Maga Civil War and acknowledging the power that he has in it. Yes, it seems like it's about Mark and Megan, but it's really more than that. He's trying to send a message to anyone that dares oppose anything that he does. And notably, it's not like it's the only time Trump has done this recently. We're just over a week.

ago, he slammed Tucker Carlson, who's been a focal point of the MAGA Civil War and a critic of the war in Iran. With Trump telling an ABC news reporter that Tucker has lost his way, he's not MAGA. Maga is saving our country. Maga is making our country great again. Maga is America first, and Tucker is none of those things. And Tucker is really not smart enough to understand that. And now you've got Tucker Carlson making headlines because he's claiming that his stance on the war has proven so controversial that the CIA has been reading his text to frame him for a crime. So the other day I found out that the CIA is preparing some kind of criminal referral against me, a crime report to the Department of Justice on the basis of a supposed crime I committed. What's that crime?

Well, talking to people in Iran before the war. They read my texts. So the crime under consideration apparently would be the Foreign Agent Act or something like that, acting as an agent of a foreign power. Now, there, he didn't provide any evidence to prove that there is an investigation or pending charges. He did deny that he is an agent of a foreign power, and he suggested that any alleged investigation into him would be politically motivated. Countries tend to become more authoritarian in wartime. It's just the nature of war. There's much less tolerance for any kind of dissent in the homeland. Although there were then a lot of different reactions to that, there was also a lot of support

for him, including from Candace Owens, saying that if they come for Tucker, we ride at dawn, really nothing else to say here. But for now, that is where we are, and this is going to continue to be an area that we should watch. We're to see how Trump's words, affect the MAGA infighting here? Or these aren't politicians. So him condemning a personality, does that actually affect their livelihood or their audience? Or, you know, are the people that are watching those personalities that are willing to call the president out different from those that would, you know, support Levin and Trump kind of unconditionally? And then kind of in respect to that, is he losing more and more of his base, even if it's kind of like slow and incremental?

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That's ZOCDOC.com slashville. That's ZocDOC dot com slash fill. Zoc dot dot. This message is sponsored by Zock. But then getting back into the news, let's talk about Trump and his lackeys. Just going censorship crazy. Because over the weekend, FCC chair Brendan Carr threatened to revoke the licenses from broadcasters that the agency deems as fake news or those operating with a liberal bias.

Saying in a post on Twitter, broadcasters that are running hoaxes and news distortions, also known as the fake news, have a chance now to correct course before their license renewals come up. The law is clear. Broadcasters must operate in the public interest, and they will lose their licenses if they do not. And he was specifically responding to a post on truth social by Trump complaining about the coverage of the war in Iran. He even called for charges of treason over it, as well as Pete Heggsett's open criticism of CNN in their coverage. Or with Hegset calling CNN fundamentally unsurious and adding, the sooner David Ellison Ellison takes over that network, the better. Just full mask off.

We're trying to take over the news and what truth is for Trump. And specifically there he's talking about the attempted takeover a Warner Brothers discovery, which includes CNN, right? A takeover by Paramount which Trump's billionaire ally David Ellison owns. And all of this, it's been telegraphed, it's been a long time coming. The claim of bias in the media has been a major Trump talking point for years and years. Trump even popularized the term fake news. But this time around, one of the biggest concerns is it's gone from rhetoric to actions.

And in fact, Trump's truth social posts that Carr was responding to was part of a wide posting spree about the media and the impact his administration has had on it since coming back to office. At one point, Trump shared an infographic titled President Trump is reshaping the media, which highlights the defunding of PBS and NPR, the doing away with fact-checking on meta-platforms and the mass layoffs over the Washington Post. Now, with all this, with the FCC and car, you have some saying that they don't think that it's going to go past just threats. Noting that the FCC hasn't denied a license renewal in decades. And you've CNN saying that any government action against someone holding a license would likely result in a lengthy First Amendment-centered legal battle. A public interest lawyer even arguing Chairman Carr's threats are hollow,

saying he poses no genuine danger to any broadcaster's licenses based on his unhappiness with their content. And that was also echoed by the only Democrat commissioner on the FCC, Anna Gomez, who said, the FCC could issue threats all day long, but it is powerless to carry them out. Such threats violate the First Amendment and will go nowhere. Broadcasters should continue covering the news, fiercely and independently, without fear of government pressure. Though that's also not to say that the threats should just be shrugged off. There are still places that the FCC holds a lot of sway,

especially when it comes to acquiring or transferring a license. Which is why you're seeing companies uniquely vulnerable to government pressure while trying to complete a merger. The media advocacy groups have also argued that the threat itself does hold a lot of power, saying Carr's goal is more about pressuring news outlets into submission and self-censorship. With the legal director of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression saying in a statement, again and again, Carr's tenure as FCC chairman, has been marked by a shameless willingness to bully and threaten our free press. And all of this actually has raised alarm bells for people on both sides of the aisle. I'm not going to say equally, but we have seen it on both sides.

But even as Trump's applauding Carr's move, you have a number of Republicans telling people to pump the brakes. For example, Senator Ron Johnson saying that he's not a fan of the government trying to exert control over a private enterprise or medal with freedom of speech. And adding, I'm in big support of the First Amendment. I do not like the heavy hand of government

no matter who's wielding it. So no, I would rather the federal government stay out of the private sector as much as possible. The federal government's role is to protect our freedoms, protect our constitutional rights. Obviously, you're seeing more Democrats taking stronger stances.

With California Governor Gavin Newsom, for example, calling Carr's threats flagrantly unconstitutional, and Senator Elizabeth Warren saying that it is straight-out out of the authoritarian playbook and adding, it's illegal for the government to censor free speech it just doesn't like about Trump's Iran war. And then you had Senator Chris Murphy adding, we aren't on the verge of a totalitarian takeover.

We are in the middle of it, act like it. It seems like with every insane and or just even out of pocket choice that the Trump administration is making, they're pushing even their allies in Congress further and further away. But then also with all of this, we've got to talk about how one in eight members of Congress are not going to run for their seat again.

They're just leaving it. That is the second highest number in the last century. And 60% of them are Republicans, which a record for their party. You know, when the people in power, they are running for the exits at a record pace. In a way that we haven't seen for a generation, it tells you, yes, the state of things right now, but also it lets you know what they think's going to happen in November. But according to NPR's tracker, 13 senators and 56 House members are either retiring or running for a different office. With three of those senators running for governor, but they'll only resign

if they win, where their seats aren't up this year, so if they lose, they can stay put. But if all three leave, 2026 would tie 1996 for the most Senate retirements ever recorded. And the combined total across both chambers, it's 69. That's just three short of the all-time record of 72 that was set in 1992. And again, the Republican side of this, it really stands out. Though to a certain degree, it does follow a trend. Where the president's party tends to see more retirements out of the midterms because their party loses more often during the midterms. In 2018, during Trump's first term, 34 House Republicans chose not to run, which is nearly double the 18 Democrats who left ahead of the blue wave that flipped the House. And then under Biden in 2022, it was almost the mirror

image. 31 Democrats retired compared to 18 Republicans before the GOP takeover. You know, a lot of these As Republicans, they're looking at the same polling that you are and they're making calculations about November. Which then brings us to the reasoning, which is kind of more of a mixed bag. Some aren't just leaving politics. They're running for other office. 15 are running for governor. 16 are trying to move from the House to the Senate. And one rev's running for a Texas Attorney General.

But a majority, 37 of the 69 Departees, they're just leaving politics entirely. Now, age, that's a big part of it. Nearly half the members in their 80s are heading out, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Though that also means that half of the 80-plus crowd, they're staying. They're loving politics. And that includes three who will be in their 90s by the end of the year. You then also have others who aren't quite that old saying, you know, it's time to pass the torch, some citing health or family, others putting it more bluntly, saying that the job just sucks.

And you have all of this is you have experts saying this is part of a deeper trend. Increasing partisan gridlock, polarization, safety threats, and an environment that's become genuinely toxic for anyone trying to govern rather than perform. And for Republicans specifically, obviously, Trump is a huge part of the equation. But also in the opposite direction or last time. In 2024, he was a big part of the resurgence, right? this a lot this big energy. A lot of Republicans, they rode those coattails to victory. But now it's Trump's approval cratering, right, the gravitational pulls going on the opposite

direction. But I do also want to stress, it's not just because Trump is unpopular. It's also that distancing yourself from Trump, it's almost pretty much just as dangerous. A good chunk of these departing Republican lawmakers, they have publicly broken with the president. And so that includes moderates who refuse to fall in line and former mega loyalists like Marjorie Taylor Green. And so you have many feeling like, okay, I'm just stuck. You can stay close to Trump, but then you lose the independence. Or maybe you break from him and then you lose the base. And so a lot of Republicans are doing the calculus and they're like, okay, I'm just out, I'm done. And then also, there's the whole redistricting mess.

Right, Trump pushed several red states into unprecedented mid-decade map redraws to gain more Republican seats. Then also blue states countered and now you have some members sitting in districts that they barely recognize or don't think they can win. And so with all of this, even though, you know, there is a lot of distance from now until November. A lot of this is looking really good for the Democrats. Incumbens, whether Republican or Democrat, there is usually an inherent advantage there.

Name recognition, institutional fundraising, established networks. So open seats, they're easier to flip. And so then there's also this compounding effect. As one political scientist explained it, it creates a little bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy. The exits themselves also make the losses more likely. And to quickly add a personal note to this, I think part of this is kind of why my wife, Lindsey DeFranco, a phenom, amazing, very excited for her. She was presented with this opportunity and the nudge to go for a house seat in Georgia.

It's a state house seat in a relatively red area, but you don't do these things just because it's easy. You know, you hope people jump into this space because they want to be a part of really positive change, a part of the change you want to see in the world, especially when a lot of the people that are in those positions or running for those positions seem more inclined to care about, you know, culture war BS rather than, you know, electricity being affordable, you having health care, like, you getting paid properly, schools being safe and funded, like the things that actually matter. And so I'll end on actually two things here. One, for the personal bit, if you want to find out more about Lindsay running or donate to her

campaign, you can go to LindsayforGA.com. I love that the initials for that is LFG, because that is 100% the energy we got to have. going into November. I said, yeah, Lindsay is trying to flip an open seat. If you're in Georgia's District 47, check your district, definitely wherever you are. Check your local elections as well. Especially in Georgia, there's a record number of Democrats running in Georgia this year. And then two, for the rest of the races in this midterm, we'll see what happens, right? Because again, there's a lot of distance from now till November. To more people drop out, does the polling change in which direction? There's a lot of ways this could go.

Right, but the next step from that, if you're flying anytime soon, it's very likely going to get worse. Right, the partial government shutdowns passed the one month mark. Over 300 TSA agents have quit, and the ones still showing up, they're not getting paid. So lines are already getting longer at airports across the country. There's no deal in sight. And the people that are working at TSA, they're draining their retirement accounts that they even have them to make rent. Right, if you've hopped on pretty much any social media, you've seen people just waiting in these crazy, crazy long lines. And well, yes, you're seeing it in places like Austin, Texas. That's a little bit different because South by Southwest is happening. You're also seeing it across the country because you're seeing TSA employees call out sick. And that's in addition to DHS announcing on Friday that we're than 300 TSA agents had quit, noting that this is the third time in six months that these workers are being forced to work without pay. And that timing also really, really matters.

Union reps say that this latest shutdown, it's hitting workers who never financially recovered from the longest shutdown in history last fall. That one lasts in 43 days. And even though those agents, they eventually received back pay for many, it was too late. TSA agents make on average $50,000 a year. A lot of them, they are living paycheck to paycheck. So waiting for back pay once the shutdown's over, for a lot of them, that's not feasible. That's not real if you have to pay rent or buy food. And during that last shutdown, you had agents taking on set.

second jobs, burning through savings, surviving on credit card debt that they're still paying off. Even just looking at October and November alone of last year, TSA data showed roughly 1,100 officers left the agency. And even though we have the 300 number this time, this is just the beginning. And workers also have fewer resources to fall back on. Last time, some got short-term, no-interest loans from banks, non-profits, hosted events to hand out groceries and supplies. But this time, the support seems to have dried up. That said, some airports like Denver, Seattle, Las Vegas, they've started requesting donations for impacted workers. But you have agents telling reporters they're having to pull thousands of dollars from their retirement account or borrow from family.

And you have industry experts saying that we're actually still a few weeks away from a real crisis point at the airports, but every day without a deal, it gets closer. And right now, it doesn't like like a solution's very close. Right on Thursday, even Senate Democrats blocking DHS funding legislation for the fourth time since the shutdown started. But Democrats saying that Republicans still won't agree to meaningful restrictions on ice, and saying that Republican leaders rejected one of their proposals to fund TSA separately while negotiations continue. Or the Democrats are trying to carve out ICE specifically so that these TSA workers, and others can get paid. But you have the Republicans saying that the Democrats won't negotiate in good fee.

And all the while, you have tens of thousands of the TSA workers just working without pay. And you're going to have millions of Americans still showing up to the airport, wondering, why are these lines so long? Why is it wrapped around the terminal? Why is it outside? This impacts real people in real time. There is also the question of what does this mean for the midterms? What does it mean moving forward?

Who do people blame and how do things move from there? That, my friends, is the end of your Monday, Philip DeFranco's show. There was a lot to talk about. There's going to be even more to talk about. I'm just glad we got this show out for you today. Thank you so much for watching. I love your faces, and I'll see you right back here tomorrow.