Candace Owens has no plans of ever being the U.S. president, but she’s Team Tucker Carlson if he decides to run for office in 2028

Conservative commentator Candace Owens would support Tucker Carlson for president and would not launch her own White House bid. That’s according to comments she made during an interview with Russian broadcaster RT at Russia’s St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

Owens made the remarks during a conversation with former CNN anchor Rick Sanchez that RT published on June 4. Sanchez asked Owens about speculation surrounding a possible presidential campaign of her own. Owens responded by rejecting the idea that she plans to run for president.

“I always tell my listeners I’d never run for president. I’d only run for dictator,” Owens seemingly joked with Sanchez in the interview. She said she did not want to deal with Congress, lobbying, or what she described as the political culture in Washington.

Owens thinks Carlson has voter support

Owens then identified Carlson as the person she would support if a future presidential campaign were to emerge. Owens said she would back Carlson for president and described him as someone she believes could attract voter support.

But as far as official announcements go, neither Carlson nor Owens has announced a presidential campaign. Carlson has previously downplayed suggestions that he intends to seek the White House. In a March interview with The Economist, Carlson said he would not run for president.

As leading voices of the populist “New Right” during Donald Trump’s second term, both Owens and Carlson command massive independent digital networks across podcasts and online platforms. Both built large audiences through conservative media and have criticized some policies and positions embraced by other Republicans and, at times, by Trump himself.

When she publicly floated Carlson for president, Owens explicitly framed her endorsement around the loss of Charlie Kirk. Reflecting on Kirk’s September 2025 death, Owens named Carlson and Megyn Kelly as the only remaining standard-bearers she trusted to lead the MAGA movement.

Since parting ways with Fox News, Carlson has anchored his political influence through his independent media network, where his interviews continue to shape conservative discourse. Owens has followed a similar independent trajectory. After high-profile stints at Turning Point USA and The Daily Wire, she transitioned to running her own self-titled media program.

The ideological alliance between the two has solidified through frequent cross-appearances on their respective shows. In particular, they’ve found common ground on non-interventionist foreign policy and media skepticism.

Once billed as the “Russian Davos,” the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum has shifted its focus toward non-Western nations following Russia’s post-2022 market isolation, according to CNN. The event now leans heavily into expanding global partnerships and traditional values panels.

Owens traveled to the forum to speak on a panel highlighting family dynamics and emerging technologies. While at the event, she used her platform to voice sharp criticism of ongoing Western military funding and U.S. foreign policy.