Former President Donald Trump condemned Fox News’ decision to fire Tucker Carlson Wednesday night in an interview with the former prime-time host that aired during the network’s debate with rival Republicans.
“I think it was a terrible move getting rid of you,” Trump said at the beginning of the interview. The Republican frontrunner cited Carlson’s rankings as the No. 1 host on cable television. “We’ll get bigger ratings using this crazy forum that you’re using than probably the debate or competition.”
Trump opted to skip the debate hosted by Carlson’s prior network for a 45-minute sit-down published on X, formerly known as Twitter, five minutes before the start of the Fox News debate in Milwaukee. The interview racked up more than 35 million views within 20 minutes of publication. Even Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was spotted at the Wisconsin debate streaming the Trump-Carlson interview from a cell phone.
The former president went on to tear into cable news, on the same night his Republican rivals sparred on stage in Wisconsin.
“I think cable’s down because it’s lost credibility,” Trump said, repeatedly referring to cable news as “corrupt news.”
Trump skipped the debate after refusing to sign the Republican National Committee’s agreement that each candidate would pledge to support the eventual party nominee. According to RealClearPolitics’ latest aggregate of polls, Trump is leading the Republican presidential contest by more than 40 points.
