Tucker Carlson’s 2028 presidential odds jump to nearly 10% on Polymarket

Tucker Carlson’s chances of winning the 2028 Republican presidential nomination jumped to nearly 10% Monday on the prediction market platform Polymarket, which noted that traders holding shares in Mr. Carlson saw their value rise 50% over the course of a single hour.

The move pushed Mr. Carlson further into the emerging field of contenders on Polymarket’s Republican Presidential Nominee 2028 market, which currently has Vice President J.D. Vance leading at 31%, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio close behind. 

The latest figure eclipses Mr. Carlson’s previous high. In early May, Polymarket announced he had hit an all-time high of 7% as he teased a potential run. That spike came after an interview with Piers Morgan in which Mr. Carlson refused to rule out a presidential bid, saying the chance to debate Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas might be reason enough to run. 

Mr. Carlson has been a polarizing figure inside the Republican Party since publicly breaking with President Trump over the U.S. military campaign against Iran. Mr. Trump told ABC News that Mr. Carlson “lost his way” and was “not MAGA,” while former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia responded by urging Mr. Carlson to run for president, writing on X that “Tucker would beat Trump if he ran for President.” 

Despite the market activity, Mr. Carlson has repeatedly deflected questions about a White House bid. In an interview with The Economist, he laughed at the suggestion, saying “of course not” when asked about a presidential run, and added that he doubted his endorsement of any 2028 candidate would be particularly helpful given how extensively he had been “slandered as a bigot.”

He has also made clear where he believes the party’s future lies: In a separate interview, Mr. Carlson said Mr. Vance is “the only person in the entire Republican Party” capable of carrying on and expanding Mr. Trump’s legacy. 

Mr. Cruz, meanwhile, has made no secret of his own ambitions. Axios reported that the Texas senator is laying the groundwork for a 2028 presidential bid by leaning into his feud with Mr. Carlson — hitting the speaker’s circuit and positioning himself as a traditional, pro-interventionist Republican. Top Republicans told Axios that by challenging Mr. Carlson, Mr. Cruz is courting powerful pro-Israel donors angered by the podcaster’s foreign policy views. Mr. Carlson dismissed the strategy as “hilarious,” telling Axios, “Good luck. That’s my comment and heartfelt view.”

This article was constructed with the assistance of artificial intelligence and published by a member of The Washington Times' AI News Desk team. The contents of this report are based solely on The Washington Times' original reporting, wire services, and/or other sources cited within the report. For more information, please read our AI policy or contact Steve Fink, Director of Artificial Intelligence, at sfink@washingtontimes.com

The Washington Times AI Ethics Newsroom Committee can be reached at aispotlight@washingtontimes.com.