Former Fox News host and right-wing podcaster Tucker Carlson's recent apology might signal more than just regret — it could mean he's considering a presidential run in 2028, an analyst suggested on Tuesday.
The Guardian's Arwa Mahdawi described how Carlson's admitting he was "tormented" by his decision to support President Donald Trump could ultimately challenge the president's pick to succeed him. Carlson hasn't directly said he plans to run, but Mahdawi points to multiple takes that suggest it could be on his mind.
"I don’t know how genuine this mea culpa is, but it’s the most recent example of the growing fractures within the Maga movement," Mahdawi wrote. "While Carlson privately admitted he hated Trump in text messages that surfaced during the 2023 lawsuit between Fox News and Dominion Voting Systems, he has stood by him in public, drumming up support for the Maga agenda at rallies. He has been one of the president’s biggest supporters for a decade. And while that support has waned during Trump’s second term, largely driven by Carlson’s criticism of Israel and the Iran war, this public denunciation of the president feels like a pivotal moment."
He also can't be ignored, the writer added.
"He’s not a fringe figure: he knows how to work the attention economy," Mahdawi explained. "He had the highest-rated show on Fox before his abrupt departure and his YouTube channel has more than 5 million followers. And now, it seems, he has broader ambitions."
Author and co-host of the Pivot podcast sees Tucker's public apology as a strategic move and "less a road-to-Damascus moment and more a route-to-the-White-House moment."
"I think I absolutely know what’s going on here," Galloway predicted on the podcast last week. "He’s running for president … I think here and now Tucker Carlson is the most likely GOP nominee for president in 2028. Put him on stage with Rubio and Vance, he’s going to slice and dice them."
Trump has not publicly endorsed a successor for the 2028 presidential election, though Vice President JD Vance has been widely considered the frontrunner among administration officials and Republican party leaders. Other potential candidates who have been discussed include Secretary of State Marco Rubio and various other members of Trump's cabinet and allied figures within the Republican party.