Tucker Carlson was flabbergasted after Donald Trump refused to attend one major conservative event in this key Primary state

Screenshot via YouTube, Fox News

The Republican Presidential Primary is finally starting to ramp up.

Televised debates are right around the corner.

But Tucker Carlson was flabbergasted after Donald Trump refused to attend one major conservative event in this key Primary state.

The first Republican Presidential Primary debate is set to take place at the end of August, but the action on the campaign trail is already starting to heat up.

Former President Donald Trump continues to hold a strong lead in national polls conducted by the media, while Florida Governor Ron DeSantis remains the only other true contender for the GOP nomination – even though he hasn’t really done much campaigning at all as he continues working overtime to serve the people of Florida, and protect their rights and freedoms from woke extremists.

With the first state primaries not set to begin until early next year, things can change quickly once the overwhelming majority of voters really start paying attention to the race, the issues at hand, and the candidates.

In the meantime, though, many events are being held in the early primary states over the next six months, giving the candidates ample opportunity to put their feet in their mouths.

One such event is Iowa’s annual Family Leadership Summit, and according to an announcement from Glenn Beck’s Blaze Media, the company has partnered with The Family Leader to broadcast the events’ Republican Presidential Primary forum – the first such forum of the 2024 election.

In announcing the event, Blaze Media revealed that five Republican Presidential candidates will take part in the forum where they will be grilled by the forum’s host, Tucker Carlson.

“Blaze Media is teaming up with THE FAMILY LEADER to bring you the first presidential forum of the 2024 Republican Primary season, hosted by Tucker Carlson,” Blaze Media announced.

But even though the event is hosted by Carlson, and Governor DeSantis, Senator Tim Scott (R-SC), former Vice President Mike Pence, and other Republicans will all be in attendance, giving him the perfect chance to cement his status as frontrunner, Trump has decided to bow out of the event, citing a “scheduling conflict.”

Family Leader CEO Bob Vander Plaats, who is tremendously influential amongst the large percentage of socially conservative voters in Iowa, took to Twitter to confirm the news.

“I learned last night that @realDonaldTrump will NOT attend our Leadership Summit this Friday,” Vander Plaats said.

Trump’s absence from the event comes on the heels of his recent outburst of attacks against Iowa Republican Governor Kim Reynolds for supposedly being disloyal to him after she chose to continue the long tradition of Iowa Governors from both parties who have chosen to remain neutral during the first-in-the-nation caucuses.

“I opened up the Governor position for Kim Reynolds, & when she fell behind, I ENDORSED her, did big Rallies, & she won,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Now, she wants to remain ‘NEUTRAL.’ I don’t invite her to events!”

Of course, while Trump does have a strong lead in national polls, his efforts to win the Republican nomination for a third straight Presidential election are solely predicated on how he performs in each states’ primary, especially early states, like Iowa.

Should the former President suffer a defeat in Iowa – or even a performance that simply falls below expectations – it could very well severely impact his ability to secure the nomination.

Other Republican candidates, like Senator Scott and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, have spent a lot of time and money in the state.

Carlson is perhaps the most popular and trusted media personality in the country at the moment, so the forum is a big opportunity for candidates to show people where they stand.

Carlson has been a strong opponent of the ruling class elites’ perpetual global wars, so the topic of the war in Ukraine is sure to come up plenty.

Earlier this year, Carlson sent out a questionnaire to several of the GOP candidates polling best early in the election cycle to gauge their positions on foreign policy.

Unsurprisingly, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, Scott, and Pence – all members of the warhawk wing of the GOP – were all in favor of more funding for the war in Ukraine.

A few months later, Carlson and GOP voters will get a chance to see if they have adapted their thinking.

US Political Daily will keep you up-to-date on any developments to this ongoing story.

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