President Donald Trump addressed renewed controversy surrounding Tucker Carlson’s decision to interview Nick Fuentes, offering a measured but firm response that underscored both media independence and his own distance from the far-right commentator. When asked what role Carlson should play in the conservative movement after speaking with an openly antisemitic figure, Trump made clear that he views Carlson as a positive force who has supported him over the years, saying, “I found him to be good… We’ve had some good interviews.”

Trump stressed that no one can dictate who a journalist chooses to speak with. “You can’t tell him who to interview,” he said. “If he wants to interview Nick Fuentes, I don’t know much about him, but if he wants to do it, get the word out. People have to decide. Ultimately, people have to decide.” His remarks reflect Trump’s long-standing view that the American public—not political gatekeepers—should evaluate ideas and personalities for themselves.

Reporters pressed Trump further, citing his well-publicized encounter with Fuentes at Mar-a-Lago in 2022. Trump reiterated what he has consistently said from the start: Fuentes arrived uninvited, brought along by Kanye West, and Trump had no prior knowledge that he would be present at the dinner. “I didn’t know he was coming… Kanye asked if he could have dinner and he brought Nick. I didn’t know Nick at the time,” Trump explained. “He brought a few people with him.”

Trump framed the wider debate around the nature of political media, noting that interviewing controversial figures is a longstanding part of journalism—something Carlson has done across the ideological spectrum. “Meeting people, talking to people—for somebody like Tucker, that’s what they do,” Trump said. “Some people are controversial. Some are, some aren’t. I’m not controversial, so I like it that way,” he added with characteristic humor.

For Trump supporters, the exchange serves as another reminder of the former president’s approach: transparency, openness to dialogue, and a refusal to accept media-manufactured guilt-by-association campaigns. It also highlights Trump’s consistency in rejecting antisemitism in all forms while refusing to allow political opponents to weaponize isolated encounters to undermine his leadership or the conservative movement.

As 2025 politics grow more charged, Trump’s comments reinforce a core principle—Americans, not editorial elites, should determine which voices deserve attention and which do not. And Carlson’s audience, not Beltway operatives, will ultimately judge the value of his interviews.