❓WHAT HAPPENED: Tucker Carlson alleged that the Murdoch family asked him to run against Donald J. Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination—after firing him from Fox News.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, Rupert Murdoch, Lachlan Murdoch, and President Trump.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Carlson says this occurred in May 2023, following his termination in April 2023, as discussed on his show with guest Clayton Morris in June 2025.
💬KEY QUOTE: “The Murdochs really hate Trump. Like, there’s no one who hates Trump more than the Murdochs,” said Carlson.
🎯IMPACT: The revelation adds to ongoing speculation about the Murdoch family’s attitude towards the Trump administration, with the President having heavily criticized Fox News in recent weeks.
Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson has claimed that the Murdoch family—owners of Fox News, the Wall Street Journal, and The New York Post—urged him to run against Donald J. Trump in the 2024 Republican presidential primary. Carlson made the claim during a conversation with guest Clayton Morris on his show.
“The Murdochs really hate Trump. Like, there’s no one who hates Trump more than the Murdochs,” Carlson told Morris. He went on to allege that in May 2023, just a month after his firing, Lachlan Murdoch directly proposed the idea of him running against Trump for the Republican nomination, with the promise of full backing from their media empire.
“I got fired in April of 2023. In May of 2023, they asked me to run for President against Trump and said they would back me. Obviously, I’m not gonna be running for any office,” Carlson said, adding, “I like Trump!”
Morris pressed for clarification, asking if the suggestion came directly from Lachlan Murdoch. Carlson confirmed, stating, “Yeah, Lachlan Murdoch said, ‘You should run… We’ll back you, the whole thing.’” He continued, “I was still under contract, but they canceled my show. ‘You should run, we support you, you should run.’”
Carlson also suggested that the Murdochs’ motivation was to counter Trump’s presidential campaign, with Morris summarizing, “We want to stop Trump.” Carlson replied, “Yeah, well, he was running.”
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