Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, 54, interviewed 77-year-old former President Donald Trump on X, formerly Twitter, while the first Republican debate took place in Cleveland on Fox News. Trump’s interview with Tucker went over old ground but lacked the confrontation seen at the debate, while eight GOP candidates battled it out for a distant second place. Trump leads a crowded GOP field by over 40%, with his next most competitive rival 44-uyear-old Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis stand around 15%. Carlson led Trump through a friendly chat on some of the major issues bandied about on the Fox News debate stage. Abortion figures strongly on the debate, a topic Trump opposes but, at the same time, never let it dominate his political headlines, something that changed after the June 23, 2022 Supreme Court ruling ending the 1973 landmark Roe v. Wade ruling.
Carlson clarified that Trump opposed 80-year-old President Joe Biden’s proxy war in Ukraine against the Russian Federation. Trump holds the most decisive position on Ukraine in the whole Republicans field. Trump said he would end the war on Day One of his presidency. Trump thinks the best way to engage with Russian President Vladimir Putin is through diplomacy, not a Biden-style proxy war. No one on the debate stage mentioned a thing about how Biden’s proxy war destroyed seven decades of diplomacy and détente with Russia. Most the GOP candidates, with the exception of DeSantis and technology entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, agree with the Biden’s Ukraine policy, spewing the White House talking points about Putin trying to takeover Europe. Former Vice President Mike Pence and Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie sounded like a White House commercial.
Carlson asked Trump how he was feeling about his pending indictments, facing 91 felonies, all of which seem politically motivated. Trump talked with Carson about the obvious weaponization of the Justice Department and FBI, something Trump faced for most of his presidency. Tucker asked Trump who he’d run against if Biden dropped out because of his current disability. “I’m interested,” Carlson said, speculating about Biden’s lack of fitness to run for president. “So you think he’s failing. It’s obvious he is failing. I think it’s clear to everybody. But that would make Kamala Harris the candidate?” Carlson asked Trump. Trump liked Carlson talking about Biden’s cognitive decline, something evident in 2020 when Trump lost to Biden. Trump didn’t hear in the Cleveland debate that the Covid-19 pandemic was brought up, suggesting he lost because of a once in a 100-year event.
No question that the 2020 election put the Covid-19 pandemic on the ballot with voters running scared, hearing Dr. Anthony Fauci criticize the Trump White House response. When you add to that the May 25, 2020 George Floyd police killing, it made the perfect storm for Biden to mobilize enough voters to win the general election. Trump didn’t like hearing in the GOP debate that former Vice President Mike Pence saying he stood up for the Constitution, refusing to interfere with the Jan. 6, 2021 Electoral College vote count. Trump still doesn’t accept that Pence had no authority to turn the Electoral College vote count back to the states. “I was very disappointed in him,” Trump said about Pence. Trump’s conversation with Carlson were two kindred spirits, preaching to the same choir. Had Trump gone to the debate, he would have been pounced on by his rivals, certainly Christie, Pence and former U.S. Amb. Nikki Haley.
When the ratings come out, it’s doubtful that Tucker’s interview on X bested Fox News, still the largest GOP news outlet. GOP voters in Cleveland had no stomach for any candidates ripping Trump in absentia. Carlson and Trump went over old ground but the debate offered the GOP audience different perspectives on the future, certainly on a younger generation of leaders. Carlson couldn’t broach the issue to Trump’s age, with a younger audience. All GOP candidates agreed that Biden was too old to seek another four years. None committed to a new generation of GOP leaders, knowing that Trump would turn 79 at the time of the 2024 election. Whether GOP voters are loyal to Trump or not, they saw a younger generation of candidates step up ready to lead the party. Biden and Trump’s ages continue to present problems for a good number of GOP voters heading into 2024.
Fox News GOP audience generally supports Trump, booing when candidates begam taking shots at the former President. Christie and Pence didn’t hesitate to share their misgivings about the former president, with Christie citing his 91 felony counts. Ramaswamy raised concerns about the political nature of the Department of Justice and FBI, leaving the public concerned about current charges against Trump. When it came to the subject of pardons, Christie and Ramaswamy disagreed, with Ramaswamy saying he would pardon Trump if convicted of any alleged crimes. Carlson held a friendly chat with Trump on nothing too controversial, including Trump’s belief that 2020 election fraud cost him the election. Voters watching the Trump-Carlson interview saw a relaxed former president ready for the 2024 campaign, looking forward to his day in court though not too soon.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
