Donald Trump, the former president, is presently facing four criminal charges. Despite this, he is positioning himself as the leading candidate for the 2024 Republican nomination for president. To counter the impending Republican debate, which will be moderated by Fox News, Trump plans to engage in an extensive media campaign, including numerous appearances on cable news and an interview with Tucker Carlson, a former prominent Fox News personality.
CNN reports that, according to sources close to the Trump campaign, the former president and his advisors are presently discussing potential counterprogramming strategies designed to divert attention away from the upcoming Fox News debate in Milwaukee.
“Conversations regarding a potential interview with Carlson have taken place with Trump’s team, but there is no definitive plan for him to do that as of now, they say,” according to Alayna Treene for CNN. “Trump has privately and publicly floated skipping either one or both of the first two Republican presidential primary debates and has repeatedly pointed to his commanding lead in the polls as one reason he is hesitant to share the stage with his GOP challengers.”
Trump hasn’t prepared for the debate and doesn’t need to, according to one of Treene’s sources. “There’s always a chance he may ultimately decide to participate at the 11th hour,” she continued.
Mediaite reported:
While it’s unclear if Fox News will allow this if Trump doesn’t show, his advisers are also reportedly interested in having the former president’s allies like Kari Lake and Florida GOP Congressmen Byron Donalds and Matt Gaetz attend the debate and work the spin room on his behalf.
For months, Trump has openly hinted that he won’t do the debate, even after Fox News president Jay Wallace and chief executive Suzanne Scott reportedly met with him and implored him to participate on August 23rd.
Trump indicated last month that he might have a private conversation with Tucker Carlson on the evening of the first Republican primary debate.
In addition to Trump, the first presidential debate will feature former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, Senator Tim Scott, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, and former vice president Mike Pence.
According to an article in Vanity Fair, Trump plans to use his appearance on Carlson’s popular Twitter show to rebut the GOP primary debate.
“The question, of course, is how a ratings-obsessed Trump would counterprogram a prime-time Fox debate that is sure to draw a significant cable news audience and feature such 2024 challengers as Ron DeSantis. One idea Trump is mulling is to sit for an interview with Tucker Carlson on his Twitter show at the same time as the debate, two sources briefed on the discussions said. According to one source, Trump recently reached out to Carlson and asked if Carlson would do the interview, but no decisions have been made,” Vanity Fair reported.
A Trump-Tucker Twitter show—say that three times fast!—could benefit both Trump and Carlson. For Trump…Carlson would likely be a much friendlier interviewer than Fox’s chosen debate moderators, Bret Baier, and Martha MacCallum,” the outlet added.
“For Carlson, landing a Trump interview on the night of a Fox debate would demonstrate his growing conservative media power as he reportedly plans to launch his own streaming-based company. According to the source, investors have already told the ex-Fox anchor that they would contribute $100 million to his venture. Carlson and his business partner, Daily Caller co-founder Neil Patel, are currently reviewing trademarks to find an available name for the company, the source said.”