After Donald Trump declared that he would not be participating in the first GOP primary debate on Wednesday, the former president has something else up his sleeve: an interview with disgraced Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
Mr Trump confirmed his absence on Truth Social, explaining, “The public knows who I am & what a successful Presidency I had…I WILL THEREFORE NOT BE DOING THE DEBATES!”
Despite four indictments, Mr Trump still maintained a significant lead in the GOP primary race, polling at 52.2 per cent, according to FiveThirtyEight.
The former president is stirring the pot once again by deciding to distance himself from both the other GOP candidates as well as from Fox News, the network hosting the debate.
It was previously reported that Fox News executives attempted to pressure Mr Trump to participate during a private dinner at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. The dinner happened mere hours after the president was federally indicted in the January 6 probe related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
At the time, Mr Trump allegedly responded by saying that he had not yet made a decision and would remain open-minded. Now, he seems firm in his decision to skip the debate altogether.
Mr Trump has also been vocal about his unhappiness with the network as of late. He wrote on Truth Social last week, “Why doesn’t Fox and Friends show all of the Polls where I am beating Biden, by a lot. They just won’t do it!”
He continued, “Also, they purposely show the absolutely worst pictures of me, especially the big ‘orange’ one with my chin pulled way back. They think they are getting away with something, they’re not. Just like 2016 all over again…And then they want me to debate!”
Mr Carlson’s interview with the former president reportedly has already been taped, according to CNN.
How to watch Tucker Carlson’s interview with Donald Trump
Well, that’s unclear. Since Mr Carlson was fired from Fox News, he has been hosting his own show, “Tucker on Twitter” on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The Independent has reached out to Twitter and a Trump spokesperson asking about where the interview would be aired.
When is the debate?
Sources told CNN that the interview would be released around the time of the debate on Wednesday night – likely an effort to serve as counter-programming.
The first Republican debate will be aired on Wednesday from 9pm to 11pm ET on Fox News; Rumble will also be broadcasting the debate in its partnership with the Republican National Committee.
Who will be participating in the GOP debate?
The eight candidates who have qualified for the debate, meaning they have at least 40,000 unique donors as well as at least one per cent in two national polls and two early state polls, are: former Vice President Mike Pence, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, North Dakota Gov Doug Burgum, former New Jersey Gov Chris Christie, Florida Gov Ron DeSantis, South Carolina former Gov Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov Asa Hutchinson, and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
