Tucker Carlson ‘certainly a contender’ for Trump’s VP pick, Don Jr says

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Ousted Fox News host Tucker Carlson is “certainly a contender” to be former President Donald Trump’s running mate in the 2024 election, Mr Trump’s eldest son Donald Trump Jr has said.

Mr Carlson is in the running despite the earlier revelation that he privately shared his disgust with the ex-commander-in-chief, writing in a text “I hate [Trump] passionately”.

The host’s candid view of Mr Trump was revealed in the discovery process in the lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems against Fox News for its defamatory and inaccurate coverage of baseless allegations that the voting machine manufacturer had helped rig the 2020 election in favour of President Joe Biden. They reached a settlement in April last year.

Appearing on Newsmax, Mr Trump Jr said that Carlson as a possible VP pick “clearly would be on the table”.

“I mean they’re very friendly, I think they agree on virtually all of these things. They certainly agree on stopping the never-ending wars. And so, I would love to see that happen. That would certainly be a contender,” he added.

Mr Trump said in November that he would consider Carlson “because he’s got great common sense”.

But when asked by Roseanne Barr on her podcast late last year about the possibility of joining Mr Trump’s 2024 ticket, Carlson said: “I put that in the category of an asteroid striking the Earth. Good or bad, it’s so far outside of my control.”

He said being in contention was flattering but added that he’s “never been in politics”.

When asked if he would accept the opportunity if offered, he said: “I guess I’d have to think about that.”

Carlson grew into one of the largest stars on Fox News as he peddled white supremacist, racist ideas, and various conspiracy theories.

His show was taken off air in April last year, with Carlson later telling his biographer Chadwick Moore that his removal was part of the $787.5m settlement between Fox and Dominion.

“They agreed to take me off the air, my show off the air, as a condition of the Dominion settlement,” he said. “They had to settle this, [now-retired Fox News owner Rupert Murdoch] couldn’t testify. I think that deal was made minutes before the trial started. I mean, I know it was.”

Mr Moore wrote last year that a Dominion lawyer “wanted to make clear personally that Dominion made no requests or demands whatsoever regarding Mr Carlson’s employment with Fox or his appearance, or non-appearance, on Fox News”.

On Newsmax, Mr Trump Jr took the same line as his father during a Fox News town hall before the Iowa Caucuses – saying that the former president has decided who will be his running mate but refusing to reveal their identity.

Mr Trump Jr didn’t rule out Florida Governor Ron DeSantis who came second in Iowa, about 30 points behind Mr Trump. He mentioned Ohio GOP Senator JD Vance, a Trump critic turned ally, saying that he’s “principally in alignment [with Mr Trump] as well as aggressive,” HuffPost noted.

Ex-House and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, who ran against Mr Trump in 2016 and then served in his cabinet, was dismissed by Mr Trump Jr as “almost too nice for politics”.

Regarding former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, who came in third in Iowa and is making a push to close in on Mr Trump in New Hampshire, Mr Trump Jr said he would “make sure” it isn’t her.

“I don’t think that’s currently really on the table,” he added.