Conservatives are furious with Fox News in the wake of the network firing Tucker Carlson.
But Donald Trump can hit Fox News where it hurts.
And Donald Trump is planning to make this huge counterattack after Fox News fired Tucker Carlson.
The Republican Presidential Primary debates should be a ratings bonanza for Fox News and the other networks that televise the proceedings.
In 2015, the first Republican Presidential debate drew 24 million viewers, which was then a record audience for a non-sports program on cable TV.
But with the Republican National Committee scheduling the first two debates in Milwaukee and California, Donald Trump is threatening to skip one or both of the proceedings.
One reason Trump believes he can bail on the debates is the fact that he is leading by 60 percent in the polls and enjoys a 20-plus lead over his closest rival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
Other candidates are polling in the single digits.
“In his mind there’s not enough candidates who are polling close enough to him,” a source close to Donald Trump told the New York Times. “And that if he does a debate this early with candidates who are polling in the single digits, there’s no upside for him.”
Trump plans to skip the Ronald Reagan Library debate in California because the Chairman of the Library is Washington Post publisher Fred Ryan.
“Mr. Trump has told advisers that the second debate is a nonstarter for him because it will be held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. The chairman of the library’s board of trustees, Frederick J. Ryan Jr., also serves as the publisher and chief executive officer of The Washington Post, a fact that Mr. Trump regularly brings up,” the New York Times reported.
But the reason Donald Trump may skip the first debate in Milwaukee is because Fox News is televising the event.
“One reason Mr. Trump may skip the first debate is its timing — he believes it’s too early, and has told aides he does not want to debate in August. Another reason is the host, Fox News,” the Times also reports.
Fox News kept Donald Trump off the air for months while reports circulated in the press after the Midterm elections that Rupert Murdoch made it clear that the network – as well other Murdoch owned properties like the New York Post and Wall Street Journal – would oppose his 2024 campaign.
Many suspect Murdoch fired Tucker Carlson because he would not agree to play ball with this strategy.
Fox News already saw a drop in the ratings after the network fired Carlson.
Network executives believe the ratings will rebound when the 2024 election comes to the foreground since they think conservatives will have nowhere else to turn.
Fox News televising the debates is the centerpiece of this event.
But Donald Trump pulling out of the debates would deny Fox News the chance to attract a mass audience to make up for Tucker Carlson’s firing.
Deplorable Daily will keep you up-to-date on any developments to this ongoing story.
