‘How Can You Not Know Population Of Iran?’ Tucker Carlson Grills US Senator Ted Cruz In Viral Clip

Last Updated:June 18, 2025, 18:18 IST

In the video clip, Tucker Carlson is seen blasting senator Ted Cruz for not knowing the details of “the country you seek to topple”

Tucker Carlson (left) and Ted Cruz. (AP)

Conservative political commentator Tucker Carlson had a fiery exchange with Senator Ted Cruz over the latter’s support for President Donald Trump’s stance on Israel amid the conflict with Iran. In the clip, Carlson is seen blasting the senator for not knowing the details of “the country you seek to topple".

Cruz and Carlson are not the only conservative figures fighting each other over Trump’s approach to Iran, in what is being seen as a MAGA civil war. Trump fans have publicly split over the president involving himself in the Israel-Iran conflict.

Cruz had recently told Fox News that a regime change in Iran would be in the interest of America. Carlson on Tuesday released a clip from the interview, which is set to be released in full on Wednesday.

TUCKER CARLSON VS TED CRUZ

Here’s how the conversation goes:

“How many people live in Iran, by the way," Carlson is seen asking.

“I don’t know the population," Cruz responds.

“At all?"

“No, I don’t know the population," Cruz says.

“You don’t know the population of the country you seek to topple," Carlson asks further.

When Cruz asks Carlson the same question back, the journalist is quick to respond: “92 million," adding, “How could you not know that?"

“I don’t sit around memorising population tables," Cruz responds.

The conversation is seen growing increasingly heated from there, as Carlson argues the numbers are “kind of relevant because you’re calling for the overthrow of the government".

“Why is it relevant whether it’s 90 million or 80 million or 100 million — why is that relevant," Cruz asks.

Carlson then offers another trivia question: “What’s the ethnic mix of Iran?"

Cruz says the country is Persian and “predominantly Shia", at which point Carlson asks, “What percent?"

The two men are then seen shouting over each other. “You’re a senator who’s calling for the overthrow of a government, and you don’t know anything about the country," Carlson says, shouting over the senator.

“No, you don’t know anything about the country," Cruz says. “You’re the one who claims they’re not trying to murder Donald Trump…"

As Carlson denies the claim Cruz adds that “we are carrying out military strikes today". Carlson is then seen pressing the senator on his use of the word “we".

“You said Israel was," Carlson says, to which Cruz clarifies the US is supporting Israel’s efforts but that Israel is carrying out the strikes.

“You just said ‘we’ were," Carlson said. “This is high stakes. You’re a senator. If you’re saying the United States government is at war with Iran right now, people are listening."

GOTCHA MOMENT, SAY NETIZENS

The internet swiftly reacted to the video.

A user commented, " Ted Cruz got cooked." Another added, “I have always been a Tucker supporter but everything is a gotcha moment. If Cruz had gotten the population correct, Tucker would have then asked the religious background. Then it would have been something else until Cruz was wrong."

“He got schooled," claimed a user. Another added, “To be fair, Tucker plays the whole “you didn’t know that?" game a lot more convincingly than that Douglas Murray character." “Thank you for being the voice of reason, Tucker. MAGA was never supposed to be about serving our Israeli overlords," claimed a user.

News world ‘How Can You Not Know Population Of Iran?’ Tucker Carlson Grills US Senator Ted Cruz In Viral Clip