Months after his public, messy break up with President Donald Trump, Tucker Carlson was pressed by Stephen A. Smith over his denouncement of MAGA and split from the Republican party.

During Wednesday’s episode of the “Straight Shooter” show, Smith questioned why people should believe that Carlson, a once staunch Trump supporter, is actually serious about the breakup. Smith noted some people could just view it as “another pivot” politically for Carlson.

Smith asked the question after bringing up that Carlson used to hate Trump “passionately” in 2021, referring to a series of private text messages Carlson sent to a Fox News producer expressing contempt for Trump that were publicly exposed — only later to become a loyalist to Trump.

“How do you answer that?” Smith pressed.

Noting he’s been “wrong a lot” about “big things,” Carlson specifically admitted to being wrong about Trump.

“I was wrong on the Iraq war and I’m sure a million other things,” he continued. “But anyway, I don’t know what to say. People can judge whether I’m sincere or not.”

He added, “But if I can’t convince people, I can’t. But I’m just telling you, I happened to be there and [was] pretty close and saw a lot of stuff that is, like, so bad for this country. It’s such a total betrayal.”

Carlson went on to recall how he previously considered Trump to be a challenge for the Republican party, but thinks he has since “changed like 180 degrees.”

“I decided that Trump was the option to the Republican leadership and the Democratic leadership. He wasn’t a Republican. He was a challenge to the Republicans. He came from outside the system. This was how I thought of it,” he said.

“And as they tried to put him in jail and shoot him and all this stuff, I was like, see, it’s totally real. You know, it’s not a fake thing. I mean, they’re trying to put them in jail. That’s what I thought, and I still kind of think that,” Carlson continued.

Carlson then argued Trump switched up after his assassination attempt on July 13, 2024.

“But somewhere along the line, after that Butler shooting in Pennsylvania in July of 2024, he changed like 180 degrees and started doing things that he ran against doing,” the ousted Fox News host added. “And so, like, you tell me what that is. I don’t know. I don’t think Trump’s a great actor. I don’t think he was lying before. I think something changed him.”

Watch Carlson’s appearance on “Straight Shooter” below.

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