An interview between prominent American conservative journalist Tucker Carlson and Mike Huckabee, the American ambassador to Israel, has caused a stir. Since the document was released on Friday, observers across the U.S. political spectrum have taken to social media to comment.
Indeed, the interview, perhaps more than any other political or media spectacle, highlighted growing suspicions that U.S. officials have more loyalty to foreign countries than to the United States. This could be a defining moment in how Americans view their government’s relationship with Israel.
Israel’s “true friend”
Huckabee, a Baptist minister and former governor of Arkansas, was confirmed as U.S. ambassador to Israel in April 2025. News of his appointment was welcomed by the Israeli government and various pro-Israel groups, who hailed him as a “true friend of Israel.”
That Israel is very close to Huckabee’s heart was made clear throughout his interview with Carlson, as Carlson repeatedly parroted the Israeli talking points.
He spoke of Israel’s “biblical rights” to the land. The occupied West Bank was called “Judea and Samaria.” And it even appears to approve of Israel’s expansion into other parts of the Middle East.
He repeatedly referred to Israel’s interests as America’s interests, frequently used the word “we” to seemingly include Israel, and even claimed that the “border issue with Lebanon” was an issue that Americans should be concerned about. He defended his meeting with former U.S. intelligence analyst Jonathan Pollard, who was convicted of spying for the United States on behalf of Israel and argued for early release.
Huckabee even went so far as to attack the US military in defense of Israeli military violations in Gaza.
When Carlson pressed him about Israel’s killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, he seemed to suggest that the Israeli military is more cautious than the U.S. military in avoiding civilian casualties.
After Huckabee claimed that Israel’s war in Gaza had “lower civilian death tolls” than modern urban warfare, Carlson called for a reference point.
The ambassador cited the two U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as a point of comparison, suggesting that Israeli military commanders are more concerned with protecting civilian lives than U.S. military commanders.
A U.S. ambassador who publicly claims that foreign militaries are more humane than his own forces inevitably raises questions about where his highest loyalties lie.
But of course, Huckabee is not the only “true friend of Israel” among the American political elite.
The US Congress is known for standing applause on both sides of the aisle whenever Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits.
Mr Huckabee’s boss, US President Donald Trump, has repeatedly claimed that he is “Israel’s best friend ever”.
Trump’s predecessor, President Joe Biden, proudly declared himself a Zionist and guaranteed full support and impunity for Israel, which committed genocide in Gaza.
South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham boasted that he goes to Israel every two weeks, “whether I need to or not.”
Former New York Mayor Eric Adams chose to visit Israel at the end of his term, saying he has served Israel as mayor of America’s largest city.
And the list goes on.
For a long time, declarations of allegiance to Israel have been seen as a political advantage in American politics. But this may be changing.
wake up call
American scholars have long been concerned with Israel’s disproportionate influence on American politics. Scholars such as John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt have written extensively on this issue.
But for many years, this oversight was largely confined to academic and left-wing activist circles. Conservatives and liberals labeled such critics as conspiracy theorists and anti-Semites.
Carlson and Huckabee’s interview probably let the cat out of the bag on the American right.
What makes an interview important is not just the content of what Huckabee says, but the interviewer, the venue, the audience, and the underlying message of the questions.
A highly popular conservative media figure visited Israel and publicly pressed the current US ambassador on whether US interests were subordinated to Israeli interests. He questioned the theological and historical foundations of Zionism, criticized Israel’s treatment of Palestinian Christians, and asked why U.S. tax dollars go to Israel.
In his response, the ambassador appeared to be speaking on behalf of the Israeli government rather than the U.S. government.
Judging by Huckabee’s defensive reaction after the interview and the reaction on social media, he has learned an important lesson. Seeming to put Israel first and America second is no longer an asset for American politicians, but a liability.
Elected U.S. officials will be watching the public’s reaction closely, especially in light of polling data showing that American public opinion toward Israel has changed dramatically in recent years.
The political incentives that have driven unconditional support for Israel for decades are now weakened. The political calculus is also changing. For U.S. officials, adopting a more even-handed, even openly critical approach toward Israel could be politically advantageous.
This alone represents a significant change.
Carlson’s interview with Huckabee did not cause that change, but it brought it to the heart of the American right. If the question “America first or Israel first” is openly asked in conservative circles, then an important political boundary has already been broken.
Carlson and Huckabee’s interview could serve as a wake-up call that American politics needs to be freed from the enormous influence of Middle Eastern countries that have long undermined American interests.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial stance of Al Jazeera.
