Former president unloads on GOP rivals and Biden to Carlson

Donald Trump skipped the debate in Milwaukee, opting instead to do an interview with Tucker Carlson on X.

Tucker Carlson interviews Donald Trump at the former president’s Bedminster golf club in New Jersey. Picture: X

Donald Trump attacked his rivals for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination and Democrat Joe Biden in an interview aired on Wednesday as counter-programming to his party’s first primary debate.

Mr Trump skipped the debate in Milwaukee, opting instead to do an interview with Tucker Carlson.

During the pre-recorded interview, which aired on X at the same time as the debate, Mr Trump said it did not make sense for him to take part while he was leading his rivals by “50 to 60 points” in the polls.

“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?” he said.

He dismissed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as a “lost cause,” said he was “very disappointed” by his former vice-president Mike Pence and called former New Jersey governor Chris Christie a “lunatic”.

During the 45-minute interview, which took place at his ­Bedminster golf club in New Jersey, Mr Trump called Mr Biden the “worst president in the history of our country” and suggested that the 80-year-old might not be the Democrat candidate come election day in November 2024.

“I don’t think he’s going to make it to the gate but you never know,” he said.

“I think he’s worse mentally than he is physically and physically he’s not exactly a triathlete. In many ways I’d love to run against him because his record’s so bad.”

He also dismissed his four indictments calling them “trivia, nonsense, bullshit”.

Mr Trump has been indicted in New York on charges of paying hush money to a porn star, in Florida for mishandling top secret government documents and in Washington on charges of conspiring to upend his 2020 election loss. The 77-year-old is set to surrender to the authorities in Atlanta on Thursday (Friday AEST) to face racketeering charges for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia.

AFP