Former President Donald Trump’s counter-programming debate interview with Tucker Carlson received 33 million views in the first 20 minutes after it was posted on Twitter, according to the social media platform’s view counter.
Tucker Carlson released the interview five minutes before the GOP primary debate began in Milwaukee at 9:00 p.m. EDT.
Fifteen minutes after the debate began, the view counter underneath the video displayed 33 million views and surpassed 70 million views after 30 minutes.
Fox News averaged 1.1 million views per day during the second quarter of 2023, according to Nielsen Media Research data.
After much speculation, Donald Trump confirmed Sunday he would skip the GOP debate hosted by Fox News.
“The public knows who I am & what a successful Presidency I had, with Energy Independence, Strong Borders & Military, Biggest EVER Tax & Regulation Cuts, No Inflation, Strongest Economy in History, & much more. I WILL THEREFORE NOT BE DOING THE DEBATES!” Trump said on Truth Social.
According to a Thursday poll by Fairleigh Dickenson University, Trump leads his nearest competitor, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, by 43 points. DeSantis captured only 15 percent support.
Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.