Former President Donald Trump and ex-Fox News host Tucker Carlson reunited last Wednesday for an exclusive interview at Trump’s Bedminster club in New Jersey. This comes as a surprise given their previous disagreements revealed through leaked text messages, according to a piece by The Washington Post reporters Sarah Ellison and Josh Dawsey.
Despite Carlson’s expressed disapproval of Trump in the past, the two influential conservatives have set aside their differences to challenge Fox News. The interview is set to air on X, previously known as Twitter, on Wednesday night, directly against the first Republican presidential debate of the 2024 campaign which Trump is notably skipping.
Trump’s decision to participate in the interview instead of the debate could be seen as a snub to Fox News, a network that significantly contributed to his political rise but has recently been looking to back another GOP candidate. For Carlson, the interview could potentially revive his audience on X and other platforms, following the cancellation of his top-rated Fox show due to a lawsuit settlement.
The execution of the interview was uncertain due to Carlson’s pre-scheduled overseas engagements and Trump’s indecision about participating in the GOP debate. Yet, they managed to finalize the date two weeks prior and conducted the interview before Carlson’s departure for Europe.
Trump’s team made efforts to keep the interview under wraps, maintaining ambiguity about his attendance at the Fox debate. The secrecy around the interview even left RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel in the dark until Sunday.
Trump reportedly had concerns about the interview airing on X due to its competition with his own social media network, Truth Social. However, Carlson’s team convinced him of X’s wider reach.
Despite the interview, Carlson’s team did not rule out the possibility of Trump showing up at the debate this week.
Photo by A Katz on Shutterstock
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