Former US president Donald Trump has pledged to “never drop out” of the 2024 race for the White House – even if he ends up a convicted felon. This typically arrogant statement was made during an interview on Fox News with Tucker Carlson. However, overall the show actually said as much about the corporate media (and the host) as it did about the former president.
Trump: 34 (potential) felonies later
Police arrested Trump on 4 April and charged him with 34 felonies relating to falsifying business records. These relate to alleged ‘hush money’ paid to Stormy Daniels, an adult film star, who says she had sex with Trump. The charges accuse Trump of paying Daniels $130,000 just weeks before he won the 2016 election. Trump denied the liaison and pleaded not guilty to all counts during his arraignment. He then repeatedly accused Alvin Bragg, Manhattan’s district attorney and an elected Democrat, of waging a witch hunt.
However, the former president is always the narcissistic showman. So, even 34 criminal charges didn’t stop him giving an interview to Fox News.
‘I’m not a drop-out’
Trump made the statement over his presidential bid during an interview with Tucker Carlson on 11 April. During the interview, the former president weirdly claimed that workers in the court house where he was arraigned were “crying” as he walked in. But specifically on his bid to run for president in 2024, Carlson asked him:
Is there anything they could throw at you legally that would convince you to drop out of the race? If you get convicted in this case in New York, would you drop out?
The former president was resolute in his response:
No, I’d never drop out… It’s not my thing. I wouldn’t do it.
Tucker Carlson: "Is there anything they could throw at you legally that would convince you to drop out of the race? If you get convicted in this case in New York, would you drop out?"
Donald Trump: "No, I'd never drop out. It's not my thing. I wouldn't do it." pic.twitter.com/a6rCHDfWm2
— Republican Voters Against Trump (@AccountableGOP) April 12, 2023
Agence France-Presse (AFP) noted that Trump insisted current president Joe Biden isn’t fit to run again. Trump also said:
Who’s the biggest problem? Is it China? Could it be Russia? Could it be North Korea? No. The biggest problem is from within. It’s these sick, radical people from within.
It seems Trump is once again determined to foment unrest among his supporter base. This kind of language – implying there’s a conspiracy against him and his followers – is reminiscent of his speech prior to the 6 January 2021 attack on the Capitol.
Moreover, not only are both political parties in the US currently mired in scandal – with the current president’s son Hunter also under investigation by the US House Oversight Committee over dodgy business dealings – but then Carlson’s own response to his Trump interview showed just how broken US media is, too.
Carlson and Fox News: also the problem
Previously, CNN reported that the notorious Fox foghorn:
Carlson actually “hate[s]” Trump. And he hates him “passionately.” He believes Trump is a “destroyer.” A “demonic force.” A president who was a “disaster.” A politician whose behavior after losing the 2020 election was “disgusting.”
In public, though, Carlson says differently. After the 11 April interview, he positively cooed over Trump, saying:
For the past seven years, the neo-con media establishment has been telling you that Donald Trump is a dangerous lunatic. In two years in office, Joe Biden has brought the world to the brink of nuclear holocaust, who is the dangerous lunatic?
Tucker Carlson: "For the past seven years, the neo-con media establishment has been telling you that Donald Trump is a dangerous lunatic. In two years in office, Joe Biden has brought the world to the brink of nuclear holocaust, who is the dangerous lunatic?" pic.twitter.com/8KE3thobPA
— Stone (@xStone67) April 12, 2023
So, US voters are stuck between a rock, a hard place, and a concrete slab (as is always the case): a choice between Republicans and Democrats, with the US media aiding and abetting them. Trump standing in 2024, even if he is convicted, will be the icing on this awful cake.
Featured image via Fox News – YouTube
Additional reporting via Agence France-Presse
