Just days after saying in an interview that he would consider FOX News host Tucker Carlson as his running mate, former President Donald Trump appeared with the pundit at a UFC event.
They were also joined by musician Kid Rock on Saturday for the Ultimate Fighting Championship 295 event at Madison Square Garden in New York, N.Y.
Trump has maintained a lead against the pool of Republicans vying to be the 2024 presidential candidate. While he said in an interview that he might consider some of the others – businessman Vivek Ramaswamy in particular – as his vice president running mate, he also said he would consider Carlson. Ramaswamy said himself that he thinks Carlson would be a “good addition” to the GOP presidential race.
After a successful run at FOX last more than a decade, Carlson was let go earlier this year. At the time, he was the network’s most watched host.
Although negative comments Carlson made about Trump were revealed as part of the Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit, they appeared on friendly terms this year when Carlson interviewed Trump for his new show hosted on the X social media platform. They conducted the interview while the other potential GOP candidates participated in a debate.
Robert James Ritchie, known professionally as Kid Rock, has been a vocal Trump supporter since his first presidential run in 2016. Rock told Carlson last year that he’s friends with Trump and that they’ve discussed North Korea and ISIS over golf.
Rock also kicked off a movement this year that has been linked with a sales tumble for Bud Light. He criticized the company for partnering with transgender actress Dylan Mulvaney for a short promotional video on social media.
When Trump, Rock and Carlson arrived in the first row for the fight, the crowd could be heard cheering “USA” and “Let’s Go Trump.”
Even as recent polls show that Trump is in the lead against his GOP rivals, and that he has an edge against current President Joe Biden in a hypothetical 2024 matchup, he faces considerable legal challenges. These include 91 felony counts spread across four separate indictments.
“I am the victim of a corrupt legal system that is being used by those surrounding Crooked Joe Biden, with his full knowledge & consent, to hurt, demean, and damage his Political Opponent, ME,” Trump said in a Truth Social post Sunday.