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Fox News is considering showing video clips of Donald Trump during questions to other candidates at the upcoming GOP presidential primary debate, according to a new report.
The network’s anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum will moderate the debate on Wednesday in Milwaukee, which Trump has told aides he plans to skip in favor of an online interview with Tucker Carlson, according to the New York Times.
It Trump does counter-program the debate by appearing with Carlson, a former Fox News host now at odds with his old bosses, it would set up an epic battle for viewers during the first major event of the primary season.
In response, the team at Fox is considering integrating video clips of Trump into their debate questions, and is preparing to ask other candidates about Trump’s latest indictment in Georgia, according to the Times.
It’s unclear exactly which clips they’ll use – and if Fox is trying to entice Trump into making an appearance.
‘If he’s not there, he’ll still be there,’ Baier told Politico this week, hinting at the network’s strategy for a Trump no-show. ‘In other words, he’ll be a part of questioning.’
‘There may be sound bites, there may be elements where ‘this is what the leader of the primary says about this issue.’ He’ll be there, even if he’s not there,’ he added.
Fox News anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum will moderate the debate on Wednesday in Milwaukee, which Trump has told aides he plans to skip
It Trump (seen in 2018) does counter-program the debate by appearing with Carlson, a former Fox News host now at odds with his old bosses, it would set up an epic battle for viewers
The moderators said that they have questions prepared for Trump if he does attend, but that his absence wouldn’t radically change the subjects they plan to cover.
‘For the most part, we talk about subjects as buckets of questions,’ Baier said. ‘The buckets wouldn’t change that much whether he’s in or not. Maybe some of the interaction between candidates would change a bit.’
A Fox News spokeswoman declined to comment when reached by DailyMail.com on Saturday.
In addition to Trump, the candidates that have qualified for the first Republican debate are Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy, Mike Pence, Chris Christie, Nikki Haley, Tim Scott and Doug Burgum.
Officially, Trump’s debate plans have not been confirmed yet, according to a campaign spokesman.
The Republican National Committee has told Trump he needs to make a final decision by Monday if he wants a place onstage.
While the Trump dominates the field, polling well above his opponents, some observers warn that a no-show could give his rivals a chance to create a viral moment and gain momentum.
DeSantis, who is a distant second in the GOP field, will be seeking to boost his polling with a strong debate performance
Christie, who is running a campaign largely based on bashing Trump, has already lashed out over the frontrunner’s likely absence from the debate stage
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Shortly after learning of his third criminal indictment, Trump had dinner at his New Jersey golf club with Fox News executives who reportedly suggested that DeSantis would steal the show in his absence.
DeSantis, who is a distant second in the GOP field, will be seeking to boost his polling with a strong debate performance.
However, there are also risks for DeSantis: With frontrunner Trump gone, DeSantis will be the focus of attacks from the rest of the field, and his ability to successfully parry will be critical.
Meanwhile, Republican strategist and pollster Frank Luntz told DailyMail.com that he believes Trump’s legal woes may be the former president’s real reason for skipping the debate.
Trump faces four separate criminal cases, and has until Friday to surrender in Georgia, where he was charged over an alleged plot to overturn the state’s 2020 election results. He denies any wrongdoing.
‘Frankly, I don’t see how he can do any presidential debate. I don’t think his lawyers will let him. He puts himself in serious legal jeopardy every time he speaks, and a debate situation is even worse,’ Luntz said in an email on Saturday.
‘Moreover, he’s afraid of Chris Christie. If Trump is so cocky that he takes a debate stage, Governor Christie will annihilate him,’ he added.
Christie, who is running a campaign largely based on bashing Trump, has already lashed out over the frontrunner’s likely absence from the debate stage.
In a post on X, the former New Jersey governor called Trump a ‘certified loser’ and ‘verified coward’.
‘If he believes he should be the nominee, if he believes that he’s got such a great record, if he believes he’s the best person to go against Joe Biden, then show up on Wednesday night and stop being such a coward,’ Christie told MSNBC on Friday.
‘If what he were saying were true, which is that he’s got this great record as president and that he’s so far ahead, why wouldn’t you come on to the stage and take a victory lap?’
For months, Trump has suggested he would snub the first debate – arguing that he is polling so far ahead of any of his competitors that a debate is pointless.
‘Many people are asking whether or not I will be doing the DEBATES?’ he posted to Truth Social Friday. ‘People know my Record, one of the BEST EVER, so why would I Debate? I’M YOUR MAN. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!’
In the same post, Trump said that ‘ALL AMERICANS have been clamoring for a President of extremely High Intelligence.’
‘As everyone is aware, my Poll numbers, over a ‘wonderful’ field of Republican candidates, are extraordinary,’ he continued.
‘In fact, I am leading the runner up, whoever that may now be, by more than 50 Points.’
Trump signaled even more definitively that he plans to skip the second debate in California on September 27, over his issues with its host, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute.
The library’s prominent speaker series has snubbed Trump but invited his critics, including former Rep. Liz Cheney, one of two now former GOP lawmakers to serve on the House select committee on January 6.
