Trump is skipping the first GOP presidential debate for a Tucker Carlson interview: NYT
- Former President Donald Trump won't be attending the first presidential debate on August 23.
- Instead, according to the New York Times, he'll be interviewed online by Tucker Carlson.
Former President Donald Trump plans to skip the first GOP presidential debate next week and will instead do an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, according to a New York Times report.
As the presidential campaign season has been underway, Trump repeatedly hinted that he'd miss the debate.
"Let them debate so I can see who I MIGHT consider for Vice President!" Trump said on Truth Social in July.
While he has not publicly stated his plans for debate on August 23, the New York Times reports that Trump has made up his mind.
The Times reports that Trump will be interviewed by Carlson in "an online interview" at a time to be determined.
Trump currently boasts a commanding lead over the rest of the GOP pack — according to an average of national polls deemed "major" by FiveThirtyEight, he's currently bringing in 38.4 percentage points more support on average than Florida Gov. DeSantis, who's in second place with 15.7% support.
Trump may not be at the debate, but he may still have a defender on stage in the form of DeSantis. On Thursday, the the New York Times reported that a firm close to his super PAC advised him to defend Trump whenever attacked by fellow candidate, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
A defamation suit between Dominion Voting Systems and Fox News revealed that Carlson privately trashed Trump in text messages. "I hate him passionately," Carlson said of Trump.