Even if he's not there, he'll be there.
Despite publicly skipping tonight's Republican primary debate, Fox News moderators Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum are determined to make former President Donald Trump's presence felt.
Trump is attempting to upstage Fox with an exclusive interview with Tucker Carlson, set to air simultaneously. (RELATED: Freak Accident Hospitalizes GOP Presidential Contender)
The Daily Beast reports:
“If he's not there, he'll still be there,” Bret Baier, the debate's co-moderator, told Politico last week. “There may be sound bites, there may be elements where ‘this is what the leader of the primary says about this issue.' He'll be there, even if he's not there.”
Indeed, multiple people familiar with the situation told The Daily Beast that the network has committed to a plan to “beam Trump in” by playing clips of him throughout the debate and having the candidates respond. The move partly satisfies the network's need for an active, lively debate with the frontrunner somehow involved, as well as its post-2020 core operating principle to “respect the audience”—in particular, the MAGA base that craves all things Trump. But it would also satisfy Fox's desire to effectively counter-program the Carlson interview.
The ex-president's sitdown with Carlson was taped last week at Trump's Bedminster, New Jersey golf club. Their chat will run for two hours, which is also the expected length of Fox's debate. “MY INTERVIEW WITH TUCKER CARLSON WILL BE AIRED TONIGHT AT 9:00 P.M. ‘SPARKS WILL FLY.' ENJOY!” Trump bellowed in a quintessentially all-caps Truth Social post on Wednesday morning.
According to people familiar with the interview, their friendly chat will feature no explicitly tough questions or contentious moments—just two ideologically aligned men looking to exact revenge on Fox and its debate. Sources with knowledge of the chat said the pair bonded over their shared hatred of Fox founder Rupert Murdoch, though not on camera. Much of the interview will center around foreign policy and Ukraine.
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Can’t wait to see Tucker’s interview with Trump. I’d rather watch that than a show featuring a bunch of worn out, sway-backed, glue factory plow horses debating on how they plan on winning the next Kentucky Derby.
WONT attend
This is a sad commentary on the quality of a Fox-run debate!!
I don’t think this attempt by FOX to draw more viewers will be successful. Most conservatives will be watching Trump with Tucker and if they feel they must see what was said at the debate they will watch it after they hear the real leader live on Tucker’s interview.