Trump to skip first GOP debate, will sit down with Tucker

President Donald J. Trump will not debate the other Republican nomination contenders at the August 23 event on Fox News. Instead he will sit down for a one-on-one interview with Tucker Carlson, who effectively has his own show on X.

Trump declines to debate his challengers

The former President first announced Thursday night (August 17) that he would not take part in any debates. On Truth Social, he emphasized his strong polling, at 50 percent or better in nearly every poll.

Many people are asking whether or not I will be doing the DEBATES? ALL AMERICANS have been clamoring for a President of extremely High Intelligence. As everyone is aware, my Poll numbers, over a “wonderful” field of Republican candidates, are extraordinary. In fact, I am leading the runner up, whoever that may now be, by more than 50 Points. Reagan didn’t do it, and neither did others. People know my Record, one of the BEST EVER, so why would I Debate? I’M YOUR MAN. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!

He pointed out that not even Ronald W. Reagan did as well at this point in his campaign. Even if anyone had, this point remains: no one can overtake Trump even if all the others pull out. Majority support is majority support.

Yesterday, Reuters confirmed : not only would Trump not attend the debate, but he would sit down with Tucker Carlson instead.

Fox News has scheduled the first Republican primary debate for August 23, 2023, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Fox tried strenuously to induce Trump to take part. But Dick Morris, among others, urged him not to. Morris pointed out that Trump has earned the implacable enmity of Karl Rove, shadow head of the Republican National Committee. Nor, says Morris, is Ronna McDaniel, the nominal chair, doing the former President any favors. Worse still, Fox News selected Bret Baier to moderate – and Bair is no friend of Trump, either. The former political consultant for Bill Clinton urged Trump to skip the debate and, on the night of August 23, “do something else on television that will garner much higher ratings.”

Evidently Trump will elect the latter option, with a sit-down interview with Tucker Carlson. Carlson, for his part, has not commented publicly.

Why did he do it

This morning The New York Times discussed Trump’s no-show decision in depth. Regrettably they take a slightly negative tone. But they do admit that a fruntrunner does not risk exposure without sufficient reason – and Trump has no reason.

Besides the basic inadvisability of debating in a forum with any host, Fox News has earned Trump’s wrath. He considers that Fox betrayed him, and continues to betray every sound journalistic principle in their coverage of him.

They purposely show the absolutely worst pictures of me.

This kind of complaint, one normally makes of old-line legacy media. The Times, The Washington Post (back when Katherine Graham and Ben Bradlee were still in charge), Time Magazine, and similar organs, did the same to Richard M. Nixon and especially Ronald Reagan. To hear Trump complain thus of Fox, speaks volumes about how Fox has changed.

This is of course the same Fox who sidelined Tucker Carlson and tried to enjoin him from creating any content. (They’ve sent a cease-and-desist letter but have taken no apparent further legal action.) Daring them to sue him, he opened his own show anyway. Landing Trump for an interview subject is a tour de force, if not a coup de grâce. That goes double given Fox’ attempt to “memorywash” Carlson, in the style of ancient Pharaohs of Egypt, by striking his name from archival Web pages and promotional materials.

Reaction

Colin Rugg broke the news on X yesterday:

Reaction is mixed, for after all, Trump doesn’t command the loyalty of every X user. But this exchange backed up every reason anyone has suggested for the former President’s decision.

At least one user speculated the former President will be at the second debate, which will have far fewer qualifiers.