Donald Trump has made clear he won't take part in the first Republican presidential debate, but Fox News executives seem to be holding out hope he might make a surprise appearance.
Two advisers told The Daily Beast the push to persuade the former president to appear in Milwaukee has not slackened, although he's already missed the deadline to confirm participation, but "Fox & Friends" host wondered on air if Trump would pull up at the last minute in a "limousine," while a reporter agreed that might be possible.
“Every single day, they’re out there pitching for him to show up, and every guest that goes on, they’re asking: ‘Do you think he’ll show up?’” said one Trump adviser. “They want him there. He’s been the one to make the choice. I don’t think they’re ignoring him, he’s ignoring them.”
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Fox News host Bret Baier and executives Jay Wallace and Suzanne Scott have personally appealed to Trump in hopes of getting him onstage, but a source close to the ex-president said he has told confidantes that a noticeable ratings slump for the debate might teach the network a lesson after showing support for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
That would force Fox Corp. mogul Rupert Murdoch to come crawling back to Trump, the source added, and the ex-president seems to be antagonizing the network by sitting for an interview with ousted prime-time host Tucker Carlson that will air at the same time as the debate.
“You can’t buy that type of exposure,” said a Trump adviser, adding that those in the former president's orbit expect the interview to draw more viewers than the debate and force other networks to cover it. “It’s hard to cover the debate and not point out the counter-programming."
