In Wednesday night’s Republican presidential debate, eight candidates attempted to convince their party to move on from Donald Trump in the 2024 election. However, Trump used a pre-recorded interview with Tucker Carlson on his social media network, X, to assert his dominance and dismiss the other candidates as irrelevant. Trump criticized former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, both of whom have been critical of him. He justified his decision to skip the debate by stating that he would face harassment from undeserving candidates and questioned the impartiality of the network hosting the debate, Fox News Channel.
Trump’s ongoing feud with Fox News Channel and his perception that they are unfair to him solidified his choice to not participate in the debate. Prior to the debate, Trump insulted two Fox hosts and accused the network of refusing to post or discuss information about him. By appearing on an interview with Carlson instead, Trump leaned into his alignment with extreme views and conspiracies, which Carlson has promoted. Carlson delved into conspiracy theories about Jeffrey Epstein and asked Trump if his political opponents posed a threat to his life, to which Trump implied that they were sick and capable of extreme actions.
The night before the interview, Trump spoke at a fundraiser for the Patriot Freedom Project, supporting those charged in connection with the January 6th insurrection. Despite facing multiple legal challenges, Trump remains prominent within the Republican Party. His decision to skip the debate is seen as a message to Fox News Channel, which previously fired Carlson. It is unclear if Trump will skip all future Republican debates or only those announced so far. He has expressed dissatisfaction with the location of the second debate in September at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library due to the involvement of the publisher and CEO of the Washington Post.
Some supporters, including Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, believe it is unnecessary for Trump to participate in debates due to his strong standing in the polls. Many candidates on the debate stage have embraced Trump’s policies, including his closest rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. However, critics argue that Trump’s extreme agenda is still present within the party, regardless of his presence in the debates.
This report includes contributions from Associated Press writers Bill Barrow and Sara Burnett.
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