Tucker Carlson has chosen his favorite moment from the U.S. presidential election as the candidates head into the home straight of a uniquely eventful competition. Among other things, the 2024 race has featured two assassination attempts against a presidential candidate, a Kennedy endorsement for Donald Trump, and the Cheney family throwing its support behind a Democratic ticket. On Wednesday, the former Fox News host spoke with Megyn Kelly on an episode of her podcast, The Megyn Kelly Show, about the election and his new documentary, The Art of the Surge, which chronicled the 2024 Trump campaign and featured exclusive footage of the race's most shocking moments.
After the host described this year's contest as "the most bizarre, compelling, interesting, consequential election in U.S. history," Carlson revealed that his "personal favorite" moment came during the June 27 debate between Trump and President Joe Biden. In this pivotal debate, the backdrop of high stakes and unpredictable outcomes set the stage for a memorable night.
Referencing behind-the-scenes footage from his documentary, Carlson noted his delight in observing the live reactions of those who accompanied Trump to the debate. They stood stunned backstage as Biden claimed that his administration "beat Medicare." Carlson remarked, "These are people who do politics for a living, who know Biden personally, who sort of have what they think is going to happen in mind. What actually happens is so shocking to them – it's truly unscripted – you just can't – they're sitting there with jaws agape. They can't believe this guy is melting down the way that he is."
The debate, in which the incumbent president stumbled over words and failed to articulate himself on several occasions, led to a torrent of age-related attacks against the octogenarian. The resulting pressures from members of his own party have been credited with leading to Biden's eventual withdrawal on July 21.
Kelly noted, "We were all having the same reaction in our homes, but to see team Trump and others backstage watching it as we did is something else entirely." Carlson added, "If you saw that live, which just about everyone did, you'd think, 'Is that just me or was that the most profound failure ever captured on film?'" He mentioned the expressions of political figures like Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott, who were equally shocked by Biden's performance.
Both Carlson and Kelly also cited Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s endorsement of Trump, as well as the July 13 and September 15 assassination attempts against Trump. These events contributed to the unpredictability of the election, highlighting that no one could have anticipated such occurrences in a standard presidential race.
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