“revious reports noted that former President Donald Trump had decided to skip the first GOP primary debate and instead sit down for an interview with former Fox News star Tucker Carlson, and now the time when that interview will be posted has been revealed.
According to The Epoch Times, Carlson’s team will upload the entire Trump interview to the “X” platform at the same time the Republican debate — moderated by Fox News and held in Milwaukee, Wis. — at 9 p.m. Wednesday.
“Sparks will fly,” President Trump wrote in his post about the interview on his Truth Social platform.
Trump opted out of participating in the debate, citing his considerable lead in numerous national and state-level polls relative to the other candidates in the primary election.
For several months, the ex-president has been questioning the logic behind subjecting himself to criticism from fellow candidates, considering his substantial lead in the polls among GOP supporters.
The Epoch Times noted further:
Although the interview is not being broadcast in real-time, the strategic decision to show it concurrently with the start of the GOP showdown serves as a potential means for President Trump to divert attention away from a crucial juncture where his opponents may garner momentum.
Additionally, this move might be interpreted as yet another instance of President Trump’s ambivalent association with Fox News, a media network with whom he has maintained a complex and shifting rapport in recent years.
“New CBS POLL, just out, has me leading the field by ‘legendary’ numbers. TRUMP 62%, 46 Points above DeSanctimonious (who is crashing like an ailing bird!), Ramaswamy 7%, Pence 5%, Scott 3%, Haley 2%, Sloppy Chris Christie 2%, ‘Aida’ Hutchinson 1%,” he added on his platform, citing some polling data.
“The public knows who I am & what a successful Presidency I had, with Energy Independence, Strong Borders & Military, Biggest EVER Tax & Regulation Cuts, No Inflation, Strongest Economy in History, & much more. I WILL THEREFORE NOT BE DOING THE DEBATES!” he added.
There was a report by CNN that suggested Trump might show up at the debate at the last minute, but that appears to be out of the question at this point.
“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,” CNN’s Alayna Treene reported. “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.”
