Such a move could prove contentious given Carlson was sacked from Fox News earlier this year amid concerns about his extreme views and a culture of misogyny on his now axed top-rating program, Tucker Carlson Tonight.
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The relationship between Trump and Murdoch has also cooled over the years, hitting a new low during Dominion Voting Systems’ court case against Fox News when Murdoch revealed that network presenters had “endorsed” Trump’s lies of a stolen election, and that company executives could have intervened to prevent those lies from being aired.
Trump was furious about the admission, accusing the Australian-born media mogul of “throwing his [TV] anchors under the table”.
More recently, the Trump campaign has expressed annoyance at reports that Murdoch has been urging Virginia’s popular governor, Glenn Youngkin, to throw his hat in the ring.
But while Trump seems determined to snub the first Republican debate of the season, he is also notorious for changing plans at the last minute and loves the limelight, so insiders caution that a surprise appearance may not be out of the question.
On the Democrat side, President Joe Biden has successfully fended off calls by his two long-shot primary challengers – Robert F. Kennedy jnr and Marianne Williamson – to take part in a debate next year ahead of the November election.
Robert F. Kennedy jnr announces his run for president in Boston on April 19.Credit: AP
Many fear that the ageing 80-year-old incumbent could easily be shown up on the stage against his younger rivals, who do not have the backing of the Democratic establishment.
It could also force Biden into answering ongoing questions about the business dealings of his son, Hunter, and whether he was in any way linked to them.
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Kennedy, who is the son of Robert F Kennedy, the nephew of former president John F Kennedy, and well known for his anti-vaccine sentiments, has called the lack of debate “unfortunate”, while Williamson went even further, using a Newsweek opinion piece in May to accuse Biden and the Democratic National Committee of “candidate suppression”.
“Candidate suppression is a form of voter suppression, and the party that purports to be the champion of democracy should not be so wary of it in our own house,” said the self-help author, who also unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for the last election.
The Republican debate will be moderated by Fox hosts Brett Baier and Martha MacCallum on Wednesday at 9pm.
But Trump has such a commanding lead – even in the face of four criminal indictments – that many of his Republican rivals resist attacking him for fear of upsetting his base.
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One awkward memo by a DeSantis fundraising committee posted online this week even had strategies for the Florida governor, advising him to defend Trump if former New Jersey governor Chris Christie attacks him; to “pivot” to attacking Biden and the media at least three times; and to show emotion when telling an anecdote about his family (to counter the perception he is too wooden).
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