As eight GOP presidential hopefuls duked it out on Fox News’s stage in the first Republican debate of the 2024 race for the White House, the network’s former star, Tucker Carlson, was dishing about his ex-colleague, Chris Wallace, with the party’s frontrunner for the nomination, Donald Trump, and asking the former president if he thought his enemies would “try to kill” him.
X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, has become Carlson’s new home, and in what has to be the most epic middle-finger to Fox News ever raised, Carlson dropped his 45-minute, no-holds-barred interview with Trump just as the “also-running” Republican pack took the network’s stage.
Carlson’s much-anticipated sit-down with Trump amassed 74 million views in less than an hour and currently boasts more than 156 million views.
Ep. 19 Debate Night with Donald J Trump pic.twitter.com/ayPfII48CO
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) August 24, 2023
Neither the host nor his embattled guest held anything back.
Trump said that cable news has “lost credibility” and, worse than “fake news,” it is “corrupt,” predicting that “we’ll get bigger ratings using this crazy forum that you’re using than probably the debate.”
But before launching into discussions about Trump’s foes and legal woes, the duo discussed Trump’s 2020 election debate with then-candidate Joe Biden, moderated by former Fox News veteran Chris Wallace. Wallace left Fox News for CNN’s pastures in December 2021, after 18 years at the network.
Trump said that “somebody else has to be” running the government, other than President Biden.
“I don’t think he’s capable of doing anything,” Trump said of Biden.
The debate with Biden “was in front of probably not a friend of yours, Chris Wallace,” Trump said. “He was the moderator.”
“Not a friend,” Carlson stated firmly.
The two controversial — and widely adored — figures contrasted Wallace with his father, Mike Wallace, one of CBS News’s original “60 Minutes” hosts and an icon among journalists everywhere. The elder Wallace died in 2012 at the age of 93.
“Why is it, he wants to be Mike, but he doesn’t have the talent?” Trump asked. “It’s one of those.”
“He’s a bitchy little man,” Carlson interjected.
“He wanted to be his father, but he didn’t have the talent,” Trump continued. “His father was great.”
“He’s a little fussy man,” Carlson said. “His father had talent at least.”
Tucker Carlson interview:
Tucker: “The world looks on at Biden and thinks someone else has to be running the government.”
Trump: “Well somebody else has to be. I don’t think he’s capable of doing anything.”
The Chris Wallace “bitchy man” will make you laugh. pic.twitter.com/LU4gGS3iRe
— TheDeplorableVeteran (@DeplorableVet84) August 24, 2023
Later, Carlson asked Trump if he believed Jeffrey Epstein killed himself, to which Trump replied that he believed Epstein “probably committed suicide.”
Carlson, who has openly pointed to the CIA’s alleged involvement in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, then asked the disturbing question that has been on many of Trump’s supporters’ minds: “Are you worried they’re [the left] going to try and kill you?”
“I’m looking at the trajectory since 2015 when you got into politics for real and then won,” Carlson said, noting that the attacks on Trump “started with protests” before moving to two impeachments and indictments.
“The next stage is violence,” Carlson said. “Are you worried they’re going to try and kill you? Why wouldn’t they try and kill you, honestly?”
The left plays “a much rougher game,” Trump acknowledged earlier, calling them “lunatics.”
Confronted with the question of a possible hit on him, Trump replied, “They’re savage animals. They are people that are sick, really sick.”
Who is going to watch the Republican debates when Tucker is asking Trump “Did Epstein kill himself?”
And that was the set up to the ultimate question “Are you worried they’re [The Democrats] going to try and kill you? Why wouldn’t they try and kill you? Honestly” pic.twitter.com/aeWCcxC2sQ
— Eric Abbenante (@EricAbbenante) August 24, 2023
At the end of the interview, Carlson asked Trump if he thought “we are moving toward civil war.”
Trump, understandably given the indictments against him, chose his words carefully.
“There’s tremendous passion,” Trump said, “and there’s tremendous love.”
“You know, January 6 was a very interesting day because they don’t report it properly,” he said, noting that he believed it was the largest crowd he’d ever spoken before.
“People in that crowd said it was the most beautiful day they’ve ever experienced,” he said. “There was love and unity.”
“I have never seen such spirit and such passion and such love,” Trump said. “And I’ve also never seen, simultaneously, and from the same people, such hatred of what they’ve done to our country.”
“So do you think it’s possible that there is open conflict?” Carlson pressed.
“I don’t know,” Trump replied. “I can say this. There’s a level of passion that I’ve never seen. There’s a level of hatred that I’ve never seen. And that’s probably a bad combination.”
Tucker Carlson: “Do you think we’re moving towards civil war?”
Donald Trump: “You know, Jan. 6 was a very interesting day because they didn’t report it properly…People in that crowd said it was the most beautiful day they’ve ever experienced.” pic.twitter.com/xMAPPvyI61
— Republican Accountability (@AccountableGOP) August 24, 2023
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
Melissa Fine is the former executive editor of Casino Player, Strictly Slots, and Poker
Digest magazines. She is a UCLA graduate, news junkie, and dedicated Stargate SG-
1 fan. Melissa currently lives with her dog and two cats in a tiny town in the Sierra
Nevada foothills.
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