Buckley Carlson, the son of conservative commentator Tucker Carlson, has departed from his role in White House as the deputy press secretary to Vice President JD Vance, according to Politico. This comes amid heightened tensions between his father and President Donald Trump.
According to Politico’s Playbook, Carlson had informed the vice president’s office of his intention to leave as early as December 2025. However, he stayed on in the role for several months to ensure a “smooth transition,” per the report.
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Move into political consulting
Journalist Adam Wren was the first to report on the development, citing sources with knowledge of the situation. The sources said that Carlson now reportedly intends to start his own political consultancy business.
Buckley Carlson was hired in 2025
The 24-year-old was first hired as the deputy press secretary for JD Vance at the beginning of Trump’s second term as the president.
Since 2019, he has served as an aide on Capitol Hill, most recently as Republican Representative Jim Banks’ deputy chief of staff.
Carlson began working for Banks in 2019 as a staff assistant, and in 2021, he was promoted to director of communications.
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Planned exit or political fallout?
Carlson’s exit seems to have been prearranged, although it has coincided with a public rift between Tucker Carlson and Trump.
Trump recently took to Truth Social to criticise several figures, including Tucker Carlson. In the post, Trump has called the collective that includes the elder Carlson “low IQ.” He went on to call Carlson and other pundits like Megyn Kelly “NUT JOBS.” Last week, he continued to brand Carlson a “LOSER.”
According to The New York Times, Tucker Carlson was one of the “few voices lobbying against military action” in Iran. He had several meetings with Trump at the White House before the start of Operation Epic Fury.
The outlet reported that Carlson apparently described the dangers of a confrontation with Iran. He detailed that it would risk the American military men, energy prices, and Arab allies in the region. He also implied that the U.S. attacks on Iran were purely motivated by “Israel’s desire to attack Iran” and further encouraged Trump to “restrain Netanyahu.”
The president was obviously unconvinced by his argument, and Carlson has since criticized the operation, saying it is being “waged” only on behalf of Israel, prompting a harsh response from Trump.
