A White House staffing move is drawing attention as tensions grow between two big MAGA conservative figures.Buckley Carlson, the son of right-wing commentator Tucker Carlson, has stepped down from his role in JD Vance’s press team and is moving into the private sector to start a political consulting firm.Carlson served as deputy press secretary since the start of the second Trump administration. He is among several White House staff leaving government roles. The exits are not unusual but the timing has drawn notice because of a deepening public feud between his father and Donald Trump over several issues.Trump and Tucker Carlson were once close allies but their relationship has deteriorated in recent months. Trump has openly criticised the broadcaster, writing earlier this month, “Flailing Fools like Tucker Carlson, who couldn’t even finish College, he was a broken man when he got fired from Fox, and he’s never been the same — Perhaps he should see a good psychiatrist!”POTUS continued his attacks days later, posting, “Tucker is a Low IQ person – Always easy to beat, and highly overrated.”Tucker Carlson has also been critical of the GOP administration, though he has often avoided naming Trump directly. Instead, he has directed blame at figures such as Benjamin Netanyahu over issues including the conflict involving Iran. He had also privately urged Trump not to escalate tensions.In interviews, Carlson has spoken more directly about his concerns. He told the BBC he was “horrified” by the president’s warning that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if Iran did not reach an agreement. In a separate interview with Newsmax, he said, “I’ve always liked Trump and still feel sorry for him, as I do for all slaves,” and claimed the president “can’t make his own decisions” and is “hemmed in by other forces.”The dispute also webbed in other conservative media figures. Trump has appeared to side with radio host Mark Levin, while criticising commentators such as Megyn Kelly and Candace Owens.Buckley Carlson’s departure was first reported by Politico. According to the report, he had planned to leave earlier but stayed on for several months to assist with the transition. Before joining Vance’s office, Buckley worked for Jim Banks in 2019 as a deputy chief of staff.
