The Family Leadership Summit in Iowa was an interesting test for the Republican presidential candidates who appeared.

They all had to go through the Tucker Carlson gauntlet, and he was not easy on them. Some did better than others. Some, like former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and former Vice President Mike Pence, imploded with their answers and were getting blasted on social media — Hutchinson for his comments about child gender transitions and Pence for his comments about Ukraine and Jan. 6. You could also tell that Pence was mad at Carlson which also didn’t help him.

The one who seemed to come out on top was Tucker Carlson. Except for the implosions, I’m not sure that any of the candidates truly helped themselves, or would have their appearances give them a breakout move, except perhaps Vivek Ramaswamy, in my opinion. While former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley spoke about irregularities, Ramaswamy got to the heart of the matter that the problems were broader and more concerning, including the suppression of what the people had a right to know, as with the Hunter Biden laptop. As my colleague Jen Van Laar wrote, he knocked it out of the park with his answers. He also showed energy and belief in what he was saying that people want to see, not the practiced answer they think people might want to hear. The difference between his demeanor and answers and Pence was stark.

It was that question of suppression and control by The Powers That Be that Tucker and Glenn Beck talked about in the wrap-up of the event. Would any of the candidates be able to take it on, Beck asked Carlson,

EXCLUSIVE BLAZETV INTERVIEW

Glenn: "Is it possible to stop the deep state?"

Tucker: "Pretty tough. There's a lot of power vested in federal agencies. Congress provides no oversight. Intel Committees do not oversee the intel agencies. They are controlled by the intel agencies." pic.twitter.com/WTv3kdDSSK

— TheBlaze (@theblaze) July 15, 2023

“Do you see anybody who can stop the deep state?” Beck said about the candidates. Carlson wasn’t overwhelmingly optimistic:

Pretty tough. There’s a lot of power vested in the federal agencies. There’s no oversight at all. The Congress provides no oversight at all. The Intel Committees do not oversee the intel agencies. They’re controlled by the intel agencies.

He said there was no one providing a backstop. But it’s that necessary housecleaning and where the candidates stand on it that is going to be a crucial part of the campaign.

Then they spoke a little more about the candidates as well as about the implosions of Hutchinson, which Beck compared to the Hindenburg disaster, and Pence.

I can watch Tucker & Beck all day. They are both fantastic. pic.twitter.com/fAOVeZWbAx

— Kevin Tober (@KevinTober94) July 14, 2023

Both laughed at Hutchinson. Carlson said he wasn’t an “OJ lawyer” but that seemed pretty simple that Hutchinson was hanging himself with what he said. Beck said he laughed out loud at some of the answers from some of the candidates. That’s not a good thing.

Carlson admitted the tussle with Mike Pence “spun me up.” He didn’t feel that Pence answered the question about religious freedom in Ukraine well.

You can see more of the interview with Tucker here.

Beck also made an interesting observation, saying he liked Ramaswamy and thought former president Donald Trump might pick him as his running mate. That was an interesting comment, implying that Beck thought it would be Trump ultimately.

It was very educational to see how the candidates responded, and it showed who really believed what they had to say versus who was simply reciting what they thought people wanted to hear.