A growing divide among prominent figures on the American right is intensifying after Tucker Carlson unveiled a 10-point political platform just days after meeting with several high-profile critics of President Donald Trump.
Carlson gathered over the weekend with former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), former Trump counterterrorism official Joe Kent and others at his cabin in Maine, according to the Daily Mail.
“We said no more foreign wars, and we meant it and supported Donald Trump because he made that promise. But he’s betrayed us all,” Greene wrote while sharing a photograph of the gathering.
“Our commitment is America First for all Americans, right, left, and center. The movement has begun,” she added.
The gathering immediately ignited a fierce debate among conservatives, with some prominent voices condemning the group and others openly expressing support.
The White House dismissed the gathering, while conservative personalities including Laura Loomer and Meghan McCain criticized those involved.
McCain offered an especially harsh assessment, referring to those at the gathering as “the biggest pieces of garbage in the conservative movement,” according to the Daily Mail.
Other influential figures on the right responded very differently.
“That’s a great group of Americans!” Infowars founder Alex Jones wrote in response to Greene’s post.
Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, who served as Trump’s first national security adviser, also expressed interest in the movement.
“I’ll be part of whatever this party below represents… America First > MAGA,” Flynn wrote.
Influencer Sneako similarly praised the gathering, calling those pictured a “great group.”
The emerging divide comes as several former Trump allies have grown increasingly critical of the president over foreign policy and other issues.
Those who attended Carlson’s gathering share concerns that Trump has abandoned promises they believe were central to his political movement, particularly reducing prices and keeping the United States out of new foreign wars.
Kent resigned from the Trump administration earlier this year in opposition to the U.S. war against Iran and has since revealed that members of the group encouraged Carlson to consider a presidential campaign in 2028.
“I’d say all of us at one point in time told Tucker he needs to run, and Tucker’s been pretty public that he’s not going to run,” Kent said during an appearance on The Young Turks.
“So, we all made our pitch to Tucker as to why he should run, and hopefully he wakes up one day and Tucker says he’s going to run,” he added.
Carlson, however, said as recently as June that he does not intend to seek the presidency.
Days after the Maine gathering, Carlson used his Wednesday show to unveil a 10-point platform laying out principles for his preferred political direction.
The platform centered around 10 descriptions: fair, sovereign, productive, beautiful, healthy, honest, optimistic, wise, decent and united.
Carlson’s decision to outline a political platform comes as his disagreements with the Trump administration have become increasingly public.
The former Fox News host has criticized Trump’s handling of the Iran conflict, questioned whether the administration continues to represent the “America First” philosophy and criticized its handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Carlson has also apologized for previously supporting Trump and become an outspoken critic of Israel.
The combination of Carlson’s platform and the gathering in Maine has fueled speculation about whether Trump’s conservative critics could eventually organize a separate political movement or party.
No formal new political party, however, was announced in the material reported by the Daily Mail, and Carlson has continued to deny that he intends to run for president.
The White House has also publicly dismissed suggestions that the group represents a serious political threat to Trump or the Republican Party.
“The President is committed to maintaining Republican majorities in Congress and continuing to lower costs for working families,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle said.
“Meanwhile, this photo represents an embarrassing collection of mostly whiny turncoats who dramatically overestimate their influence and relevance,” Ingle added.
