Donald Trump may skip Republican debate for Tucker Carlson interview

Donald Trump may join Tucker Carlson for an online meeting. Photo: AP

Donald Trump is reportedly planning to skip the first Republican primary debate and beat his rivals by taking part in an online interview with Tucker Carlson.

The former US president has been making it clear for months that he will miss the first GOP debate in Milwaukee on Wednesday night.

He wrote on his Truth Social platform: «People know my record is one of the BEST EVER, so why should I argue?»

According to The New York Times, he plans to outshine his party's rivals in 2024 , by arranging a one-on-one online meeting with Carlson, one of America's most famous news anchors.

Timing for the interview is yet to be set, but clashing with the debate will be a major rebuke for both the GOP and its anchor Fox, which fired Carlson in April.

Fox was one of Trump's biggest supporters in the US media during his presidency.

But after leaving office, he went bad online and accused her of unfair coverage.

Trump's first White House presidency in 2015 was greatly facilitated by his appearance on Republican television debates. Photo: GETTY IMAGES

Carlson, who hosted a primetime show on Fox for years, was fired by the network less than a week after he settled a $787.5 million lawsuit for spreading misinformation about the 2020 election. Carlson has been prominent in this case.

It's unclear what platform the interview will be posted on, but Carlson has been using Twitter to post interviews and other content since his departure from Fox.

Seven other Republican candidates have reached the party's voting and fundraising threshold to appear on the debate stage on Wednesday.

They are Ron DeSantis, Mike Pence, Nikki Haley, Doug Burgum, Chris Christie, Tim Scott, and Vivek Ramaswamy.

This debate is seen as a critical moment in the race, and several Republican candidates are hoping for a breakout moment to boost his polls.

Mr Trump is in the lead with about 54% support, according to poll aggregator FiveThirtyEight.

1708 trump poll

Mr Trump's Absence Likely , this will have a significant impact on the number of views of the debate.

The 77-year-old Trump, always eager to be in the spotlight, flirted with the opportunity to appear at the debate at the last minute, according to insiders.

However, his campaign strategists advised against doing so, as it could strengthen Trump's rivals and expose him to devastating attacks.

The Republican National Committee banned the appearance of any candidates in the debate, provided signing a pledge to support the party's final nominee, which Trump seems reluctant to do.