Staff Reports
In a surprising turn of events, former Fox News host Tucker Carlson has expressed his support for the idea of co-hosting a Republican presidential primary debate with X CEO Elon Musk and podcaster Joe Rogan. During a conversation with producer Alex Lorusso, better known as ALX, Carlson was asked if he would be open to such a debate. Without hesitation, Carlson responded enthusiastically, stating, “Of course I would. Of course I would. Yeah! That sounds fun as hell.”
However, Carlson also made it clear that he believes the debate should be outside the jurisdiction of the Republican National Committee (RNC). He went on to question the purpose of the RNC’s existence, comparing it to NATO. “It has no reason for being; it only consumes resources and says annoying things and breaks things,” Carlson stated. It seems that he sees this debate as an opportunity to bypass the RNC and shake things up in the presidential primary.
Interestingly, the RNC recently announced that it would not host any more debates during the 2024 primary season but had no issue with candidates participating in debates organized by other organizations. CNN wasted no time in announcing a debate on January 10, just days before the Iowa caucuses on January 15. However, the debate would only include three candidates who had met the qualification criteria. These are Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, and former President Donald Trump.
It remains unclear whether Trump, who has been critical of previous debates, will attend this one or any others. So far, only DeSantis has confirmed his participation. Haley has been noncommittal, and there seems to be some speculation as to whether her hesitance is due to her performance in the previous debate. However, polling averages show that Haley has actually gained 2 points since the last debate, while DeSantis is down a point. As for Musk and Rogan, it is unknown whether they would be interested in co-hosting the debate with Carlson. Nonetheless, the idea of such a potential debate certainly sparks interest and excitement for political enthusiasts.
