Tucker Carlson, who was recently dismissed from Fox News, has expressed interest in moderating Republican candidate debates and is said to have discussed the possibility with former President Donald Trump.

Recently, the former president and leading candidate for the Republican nomination proposed boycotting forums moderated by Fox News because the “hostile” network did not solicit his opinion on the issue. According to the Washington Post, Carlson and Trump discussed replacing Fox News’ moderator in order to “take a jab at his former employer.”

Trump has threatened to skip the first presidential debate scheduled for the summer, which will be moderated by Fox News, Carlson’s former employer.

Carlson departed the cable news network after Fox News settled a significant legal dispute with Dominion Voting Systems for allegedly more than $787,500,000. The connection between the settlement and Carlson’s departure is unknown, and alternative theories have been proposed in the media.

According to the WaPo article, Carlson appeared willing to forego millions of dollars and violate his contract with Fox News, which is valid until 2024, in order to pursue other opportunities.

The report from The Washington Post states in part:

According to two people familiar with the matter, Carlson and his team have discussed the possibility of moderating a candidate forum outside of the traditional protocols surrounding the GOP primary debate system. According to these sources, the setup and Carlson’s availability to take on such a role, given the noncompete restrictions of his contract with Fox, remain ambiguous. However, according to those familiar with Carlson’s remarks, he has personally expressed enthusiasm for the idea. At least one prominent candidate, Trump, has expressed interest to Carlson, according to a source familiar with the conversation.

According to reports, the former Fox host’s interest in a debate stems in part from the debate’s potential to loosen the Republican National Committee’s hold on the process and to challenge the traditional role of the major television networks. “He could go directly to the candidates, stream it live, and invite the networks, all while maintaining control over the process,” said a participant in the discussions.

In line with claims that he is interested in hosting candidate forums, Carlson is reportedly welcoming calls from networks interested in hiring him. Newsmax, One America News Network, and Trinity Broadcast Network are among these networks. According to the Post, the conservative media outlet Newsmax, whose prime-time ratings increased last week while Fox lost viewers from Carlson’s former time slot, made a stronger case.

According to the newspaper, Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy stated that he would be amenable to “rebranding Newsmax under Tucker’s name,” an idea that appears to have piqued Tucker Carlson’s interest.

However, Carlson’s contract situation with Fox News remains uncertain, which could prevent one of the most well-known television personalities in history from making imminent career moves.

“As of right now, the plan remains the same: pay out Carlson’s contract and keep him on the sidelines through the 2024 elections,” an insider who is close to Fox News top executives reported to Breitbart News a week ago. “They knew they would take a beating for this, but everyone — and I mean everyone — is pretty rattled. They weren’t expecting the blowback to be this bad. Hate to say it, but it’s clear that Rupert [Murdoch] has lost a step or two.”

Since Carlson’s departure, Fox News’ ratings have plummeted, particularly in comparison to CNN and MSNBC, two progressive cable news networks that compete during his time slot. According to one assessment, Carlson’s position on Fox News saw an approximate 50% decline in viewers.

Following his departure from Fox News, Carlson published a video in which he appeared to hint that he would soon be transitioning to other platforms.

“When honest people say what’s true, calmly, and without embarrassment, they become powerful,” declared Carlson in the video. “At the same time the liars who’ve been trying to silence them shrink, and they become weaker. That’s the iron law of the universe. True things prevail.”

More on this story via The Republic Brief:

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