Former President Donald Trump further clarified his reasons for skipping the Republican National Committee's primary debate in an interview with Tucker Carlson that was prerecorded in Bedminster, New Jersey, and aired Wednesday night.

After Trump bragged about his poll numbers in which he leads all of his 2024 rivals by double digits, he explained that he didn't want to deal with attacks from other candidates.

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"I'm saying do I sit there for an hour or two hours, whatever it's going to be, and get harassed by people that shouldn't even be running for president?" Trump said about the debate. "And a network that isn't particularly friendly to me frankly."

"They were backing Ron DeSanctimonious like crazy and now they've given up on him. It's a lost cause," he added referencing Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL). "It reminded me very much of 2016. Now in 2016, I went through the same stuff and had to fight them all the way, and then they became very friendly after I won."

Carlson, the ousted Fox News host, started the interview with Trump at 8:55 p.m. ET, five minutes before the RNC debate with eight presidential candidates battling to prove themselves the top Trump-alternative candidate, aired at 9 p.m. ET.

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The move was meant to divert media attention from Trump's rivals and from the RNC and Fox News, organizations that Trump has publicly voiced his displeasure with. The former president has noted that the network has made friendly overtures to two of Trump's rivals, DeSantis and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.

Trump also refused to endorse the RNC's loyalty pledge that it required of all presidential candidates participating in the debate. It remains to be seen if he will participate in future RNC debates.