I must admit, tuning in to the 2.75-hour video of the Mike Huckabee-Tucker Carlson interview was not at the top of my priority list. But a 2-hour evening power outage left few options! So, sitting in the dark, I pulled it up on my phone. No notetaking, so observations are general and examples are paraphrased (not verbatim).

Overall, I believe Huckabee “schooled” Carlson on many points such as Christian Zionism and American aid to Israel. But I came away more disappointed and frustrated by Tucker Carlson that ever.

First, Tucker spent 25 minutes rationalizing what took place in the VIP terminal at Ben Gurion airport. The accounts vary greatly, based on who is telling the story, but Carlson made sure to defend why he spent only a few hours in Israel and never left the airport, the allegation that his team members were taken aside and interrogated (while ushered into a private room at the VIP terminal to prevent unwanted attention), and the fact that the terminal was filthy. (Interestingly, in the discussion he talked about how nice Israel is!) Multiple times in the 25 minutes he mentioned the “great expense” they went to in order to do this interview. (As though his trips to places like Jordan, Qatar and Russia for previous interviews weren’t at “great expense!”)

The two covered topics ranging from Huckabee’s responsibilities as American Ambassador to Christian Zionism and everything in between. To have been such an acclaimed journalist, at times Carlson came across as a verbal bully and often redirected the conversation in a different direction when confronted by truthful statements. On a somewhat positive note, Carlson did actually apologize for his prior statement regarding Christian Zionism being a “mind virus” and other comments aimed directly at Ambassador Huckabee. Apologies were accepted, though (in my opinion) it seemed more like Carlson was sorry he got called out, rather than sorry he said it. I could be wrong, but getting it off his chest didn’t stop further indirect accusations during the interview. Decide for yourself.

Here are a few take aways from the interview:

• Tucker Carlson often came across as playing “the righteous one.” Insisting over and over that he doesn’t like nuclear weapons, war, killing children, etc, the insinuation was that Huckabee had no problem with those things. He grilled him particularly hard regarding the “killing of children” in Gaza. Huckabee handled it well, explaining that Hamas drafted kids as young as 14 to fight, and that Hamas consistently uses kids and children as human shields. According to Carlson, no child should die…period.
• Accusations were thrown at Ambassador Huckabee. For example, Johathan Pollard, a convicted Israeli spy who provided American military secrets to Israel, asked for a courtesy meeting with Huckabee after Huckabee graciously sent condolences following the death of Pollard’s wife. They discussed nothing related to geopolitics, but simply a thank you from Pollard. The news of that “secret meeting” was debunked months ago, yet Carlson resurrected the accusation.
• Some accusations were leveled at Israel, but opened an opportunity to blame Huckabee for his response. For example, abortions are prevalent in Israel, and because the US provides military aid to Israel, Carlson asked why America is subsidizing a nation that allows abortion. As though Huckabee could prevent that! Never mind that the US does the same thing! (Military aid does NOT go to fund abortions in Israel.) Likewise, Carlson accused Israel of sabotaging US negotiations with Iran and pressed Huckabee on why he does nothing about it. Though Huckabee may be involved in some of the meetings, he does not have veto power over the Israeli government! Besides, what Israel and America do in conjunction with one another is the responsibility of the entire State Department and negotiating teams, not one man.
• Another serious accusation Carlson posed was, “How many journalists did Israel kill in Gaza?” Again, Huckabee explained that significant evidence exists that most journalists were actually Hamas soldiers wearing press vests. It is very common for Hamas soldiers to dress as journalists, civilians, doctors, etc.
• Beyond accusations, Carlson asked many leading questions such as, “How many Americans support the war in Iran?” When Ambassador Huckabee responded, “I don’t know…do you?” Carlson replied, “Yes…21%. Is that enough to have war with Iran?” Again, as though Huckabee can control that. The objective seemed to be to bait Huckabee into either advocating for war, or speaking out against President Trump. Smartly, at one point (perhaps on a different question), Mike Huckabee said, “You have access to the President, and JD Vance is a good friend of yours. Have you asked them?”
• There were also other expectations outside Ambassador Huckabee’s purview. Carlson asked why sex offenders have been allowed to flee to Israel, and why the Epstein files have not all been released. Each left undertones of Israeli impropriety that Huckabee should just go to the Prime Minister and fix. These are Department of Justice issues, not State Department issues. Still Carlson insisted Huckabee should do something.
• Finally, there were attempts to trap Huckabee theologically, and that is where things got interesting. Time and again, Huckabee answered Carlson’s questions, yet he did not always agree. When not, he feigned ignorance or implied Huckabee wasn’t answering his question. Ambassador Huckabee, an ordained and fully trained pastor, expertly answered why Israel has a right to the land, what Christian Zionism is, what makes a Jew a Jew, and several other questions. After answering some questions multiple times, at one point Carlson said, “My question is very simple and I’m going to wait patiently for an answer.” It was in these situations that, though Carlson wanted to appear well-versed, he most often redirected the conversation or said something like, “I just don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

Except for a couple of hot moments, the conversation remained civil. However, it was clear Tucker Carlson had a list of questions (some of them the “gotcha” variety) and he wanted to direct the conversation in certain ways. Leading questions and accusations were often used, and Carlson fairly consistently cut Mike Huckabee off as he attempted to answer the question. For the most part, Huckabee avoided the traps set for him as Carlson worked to paint him into a corner on certain issues.

I pray for Tucker Carlson, as I believe he has lost his way spiritually (if he ever had it). He is definitely agenda-driven and has fairly hardened, mostly negative positions on Israel and America’s relationship to them…. though he strongly stated that he likes Israel. In my mind, he likes to play both sides of the fence, providing lots of airtime for avowed antisemites and white nationalists such as Nick Fuentes, while also pretending to appease strong Christians such as Ambassador Mike Huckabee with a 3-hour time slot on the ground in Israel “at great expense.”

Huckabee and others have invited Carlson to come spend time in Israel. In his 25-minute opening diatribe, it sounds like he can’t stand being in Israel, yet he told Huckabee he would like to come for “a week or so.” I pray that he does. I pray he is able to speak to the Messianic community to find out how Christians are treated in Israel. I pray he is able to speak to military leaders who can provide hard evidence of how the war in Gaza is handled. (It’s not perfect, but it’s also not as Tucker Carlson has described it.) I pray he is able to visit Yad Vashem and talk to Holocaust survivors who know what it’s like to be hated by the world. I pray he meets with Jewish and Arab pastors who work side-by-side to bless the people of Israel. I also pray the Lord will change his heart toward Israel, or will shut his mouth, so he does not continue spewing antisemitism. Tucker Carlson is a huge voice, and the issue will ultimately divide conservative ranks in America.

I also pray for Ambassador Mike Huckabee. He and his wife left the comforts of home to live in a land where all the neighbors want to wipe Israel from the earth. I pray for wisdom as he serves at the pleasure of the President. I pray for continued boldness as he stands Biblically for America and for Israel. I pray against the schemes of the enemy and the attacks on Huckabee as he serves as the only Evangelical Christian ever to hold the position.

If you are interested in the 2.75-hour video, here it is. Make up your own mind!

UPDATE: Many in the evangelical world are commenting on the Tucker Carlson-Mike Huckabee interview and there is a common theme: something is not quite right with Carlson. Again, I encourage you to pray for him. He professes to be a Christian, but is not being true to God’s Word on the issue of Israel, nor in regard to truthfulness. This is not a judgment and this is not hearsay. You can clearly hear it in his own words. It is a genuine plea for our God of mercy and grace to change his heart.

It is also true that Tucker Carlson has tens of millions of followers, thus he influences so many (particularly young people) away from God’s commands to bless Israel. It is dangerous, therefore, this is an incredibly important issue.

Sensible Jews and evangelical Christians are speaking out regarding Tucker Carlson and those who spew deception. Here are three examples:

• Joel Rosenberg – this is a fair perspective from a very well-respected Christian leader living in Israel.
• News Nation – this is a follow up interview between a News Nation reporter and Mike Huckabee.
• CBN – interview with Jack Hibbs. He did not address Tucker Carlson directly, but gave Scriptural reference to false teachers and those who spread false information. (Especially beginning about the 13:20 mark.)

Be aware, friends. Deception will rule the day as we draw nearer to Christ’s return.