Donald Trump Election Debate Interview with Tucker Carlson | Presidential Election GOP Debate 2023

Former President Donald Trump skipped the first GOP debate Wednesday night, opting instead for an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson as a form of counterprogramming.

The pre-taped interview was made available on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, five minutes before Wednesday night's debate began. Trump, who made little news Carlson in the roughly 45-minute interview, explained why he didn't show up to the debate.

"You see the polls have come out, I'm leading by 50 and 60 points," Trump said. "And some of them are at one and zero and two. And I'm saying, 'Do I sit there for an hour or two hours, whatever it's going to be and get harassed by people that shouldn't even be running for president? Should I be doing that? And a network that isn't particularly friendly, frankly.'"