Tucker Carlson claims Hitler's 1939 invasion of Poland was justified in interview with Jacob Rees-Mogg

Carlson's claims on the 1939 invasion of Poland

American conservative commentator Tucker Carlson asserted that Adolf Hitler had justification to attack Poland in 1939 and described Britain's defense of the country as an error. During an interview recorded on Friday, 2 October 2026, with British Conservative politician Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, Carlson stated that the defense of Poland against the Nazi invasion was not a British affair. Carlson challenged the conventional historical account that German forces invaded Poland without motivation. He argued that the German government held legitimate grievances regarding lands transferred following the Treaty of Versailles.

Hitler said that 15% of Poland was former Germany and it was granted to Poland in the Treaty of Versailles.

Carlson stated that these territories in the Second Polish Republic were German areas populated by Germans. Interwar records indicate that the lands restored to Poland had a mixed demographic and linguistic makeup with Slavic roots reaching back to the Middle Ages. Carlson dismissed these factors, arguing that Britain had no reason to involve itself in the border arrangements between Germany and Poland.

Dispute over British involvement in World War II

The conversation between Carlson and Rees-Mogg focused on the United Kingdom's decision to enter the conflict on 3 September 1939, two days after the Nazi invasion on 1 September. Before declaring war, the British government demanded that Berlin halt all military operations in Poland. Carlson argued that London should have remained uninvolved, asserting that the war effort dismantled the British Empire. He questioned whether the military defense of European allies justified the broader consequences of the conflict.

Was defeating the Nazis and protecting allies worth the destruction of all of Europe?

Rees-Mogg, who previously served as Leader of the House of Commons and Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, rejected Carlson's framing. Rees-Mogg stated that declaring war on Germany was the correct course of action for the British government. He described World War II as one of the few historical conflicts representing a straightforward fight between good and evil, voicing surprise at Carlson's willingness to justify Hitler's actions.

I am very surprised that you border on defending Hitler.

Rebuttal and political context

Carlson responded to Rees-Mogg by stating that he was not an undercover Nazi, claiming instead that he was attempting to evaluate the causes and outcomes of the war objectively. He argued that Britain forfeited both its sovereignty and its self-respect by entering the war and remaining in a state of conflict that began with the Phoney War on the Western Front. Carlson reiterated that the British public had been misled into viewing the wartime mobilization as beneficial for the empire.

Carlson hosted the evening talk show Tucker Carlson Tonight on Fox News from 2016 until his dismissal in 2023, after which he built an independent audience on social media. A prominent figure within the MAGA movement who previously supported Donald Trump, Carlson announced in June 2026 that he would not back the Republican Party ahead of the November midterm elections. His remarks also reflect themes from his 2024 interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin, during which Putin alleged that Poland had cooperated with Nazi Germany before the outbreak of hostilities in 1939.