Three Key Takeaways from the Republican Debate-Carlson Interview Double Main Event

Topic: Perspective

In yesterday’s column, I gave four predictions as to how the double main event of the Republican debate and the parallel Trump-Carlson interview would unfold, with the big picture in mind.  Today, I am providing a quick review.

With President Trump set to turn himself in to law enforcement in cesspool Atlanta this afternoon, any lessons learned are going to be quickly lost, and in all honesty, that’s good news for a lackluster debate field filled with missed opportunities for those who needed to hit homers, or at least a couple extra-base hits, but instead grounded into twin killings.  Here are my three key takeaways from yesterday’s proceedings:

I.          The Trump-Carlson Interview Exceeded Already Sky-High Expectations

I predicted Trump’s interview with Carlson would suck all the oxygen from the Republican debate stage, and I’m stunned enough that even I underestimated just how stark that contrast would prove to be.  At the time of this article’s publication, Carlson’s interview with Trump has been watched nearly a quarter of a billion times on X alone.  With all other platforms, shares, and re-cuts worldwide, this interview will be watched a billion times by the end of the weekend.

I wrote this in yesterday’s piece:

…the sanctioned Republican Party debate, which lacks its main attraction, will post humiliating ratings numbers, while Trump’s interview with Carlson will draw a global audience to watch the one who once wrote to never be afraid to walk away from a deal.  By simply conducting an interview, Trump will highlight the insignificance of the rest of the Republican field, relegating them to the little kids’ table…

II.         My Outcomes Summary is Mostly Accurate

Here is how I closed yesterday’s article, which was already a piece full of predictions:

Overall Winner – Trump, who will surge in polling as other candidates drop out or find themselves on the ropes.  We all know his policies, and we care about elections and national sovereignty.  Neither of those topics will be rallied around at the Republican debate.

            Most Cringe – Christie, who will try to land big shots on Trump as an “attack dog.”

            Most Likely to Drop Out After – Hutchinson

            Most Faded Star – Pence

            Most Likely to Surprise – Burgum

How did I do?  You decide and tell me in the comments.  Trump absolutely carried the day, as evidenced by the Internet-breaking interview with Carlson, but also thanks to the stale, twenty-years-out-of-date, GOP debate that saw candidates pledging American lives and support for Ukraine, tired political voices shushing populist newcomers, and persisting concerns about temperament and tone, as if the American people should hire nice guys or gals who do stupid things with political power just because they do them with a smile.

Christie was bloodied by Ramaswamy, who correctly stated that his entire existence in the campaign is designed to carry out a vendetta against Trump and play the role of Republican attack dog on behalf of mainstream media content production teams.  Hutchinson not only declined to pledge support to Trump when, not if, he wins the nomination, but failed to stand out when given the opportunity to tell Americans just who in the hell he is, and what state he governed.  Pence sure seemed cranky, but if he was trying to emulate Clint Eastwood in having people get off his proverbial lawn, he failed to entertain the audience, or endear himself to them.

III.        Final Debate Review

            Boiling down last night’s debate festivities to just a few bullet points:

            a.         DeSantis utterly embarrassed himself by checking left, checking right, and then waiting two seconds to raise his hand in support of a hypothetical Trump nomination, which is all but certain absent the interference of judicial theater.  While his surrogates are fluffing his performance, he didn’t make strong enough points to offset his robotic missteps and wound up giving fuel to the fire that suggests he is simply not able to connect to people.

            b.         Ramaswamy had the best performance at the debate, and it is because he was the only candidate on the stage that realizes populism is the answer, not conservatism.  I do not believe he is as hardcore or red-pilled as some would like to believe, but he knows how to take shots at the right people and over the right issues.  He will almost certainly begin polling a consistent second and force the other candidates to drop some of their neocon positions to at least give lip service to the ones people care about.

            c.         Alarmingly, but not surprisingly, election integrity was not a topic of discussion, as it would have confirmed what those of you who read this journal have believed all along – that the “big” Republican Party is a key contributor to ensuring transparency comes nowhere near the sacred process of selecting those who can be controlled.  Donald Trump, on the other hand, maintained his position that he was the rightful winner of a fair 2020 election.

Author’s Note: I aim to give you the most actionable assessments to have the clearest picture of today’s geopolitical battlefield.  If you enjoy this journal and are able, I would greatly appreciate your support as a paying member of this journal.  Thank you!