Bret Baier Shades Trump For Plan to Hijack Post-Debate News Cycle By Turning Himself In: ‘Not a Great Counter-Programming Thing’
Fox News anchor Bret Baier joined conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt for an interview on Tuesday ahead of Wednesday’s first GOP presidential primary debate, which Baier will moderate.
Former President Donald Trump has announced he will skip the debate in Milwaukee, which will be co-moderated by Martha MacCallum and hosted by Fox, which Trump has sharply criticized in recent months.
“Bret Baier, there’s a story this morning that he has agreed to turn himself in in Atlanta on Thursday. Do you think he plans this? Because that would be the worst counterprogramming ever if that’s voluntary,” Hewitt asked Baier during the interview.
“I think there has to be some planning,” Baier replied.
“I mean, I think it is about sucking the oxygen out of the room for anybody who had a big night on Wednesday making the rounds on Thursday. I do think that there is, they are calculated like that. It’s not a great counter-programming thing, but I do think it is calculated,” argued the veteran political journalist.
Earlier in the interview, Hewitt asked Baier to weigh in on Trump’s announcement he would not only skip this week’s debate, but multiple GOP debates.
“I regret that President Trump has declined the invitation, and I think he has made a mistake announcing he’s not going to do any debate. I don’t think you can blockade the debates and win. I don’t know if you have an opinion on that, Bret, do you?” Hewitt asked.
“I do. I think he has to do a debate,” Baier replied.
“I think, you know, I think it’s fair when these other candidates say it’s not a coronation, it’s an election. And, you know, I do think that, you know, he skipped the 2016 Iowa debate with us and he ended up losing the Iowa caucuses. I’m not saying there’s a direct connection, but people do like to see engagement. He’s very good at it. And I assume he’s going to eventually do one debate,” he concluded.
Watch the full clip above via Fox News.
