Former President Donald Trump is signaling he might not do any primary election debates — plural — after he skips the first debate Wednesday in Milwaukee.
Mr. Trump pointed to his “legendary” poll numbers, including a 46-point lead in a new CBS poll over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, the Republican considered his most significant threat in the 2024 presidential primary.
“The public knows who I am & what a successful Presidency I had, with Energy Independence, Strong Borders & Military, Biggest EVER Tax & Regulation Cuts, No Inflation, Strongest Economy in History, & much more,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I WILL THEREFORE NOT BE DOING THE DEBATES!”
For weeks, Mr. Trump signaled he didn’t want to do the first debate. He says he would face bias from moderators and risk his front-runner status.
Mr. Trump plans to counter-program the first debate through an interview with conservative host Tucker Carlson. A report in The Washington Post said the interview will be pre-recorded and released online to coincide with the debate.
Mr. Trump’s refusal to debate Wednesday is an extension of his feud with Fox News. The network is airing the first debate, and two of its top hosts, Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, are moderating the event. The ex-president claims Fox is biased against him and promoting alternative candidates.
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Mr. Trump also doesn’t want to sign a loyalty pledge from the Republican National Committee that says candidates must vow to support the eventual nominee if they wish to participate in debates.
Mr. Trump is unpredictable, and he might change his mind. But the latest comments suggest his boycott will extend to the second debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California on Sept. 27 and beyond.
Aaron Kall, the Lee H. Hess director of debate at the University of Michigan, said Mr. Trump had an incentive to skip the first two debates because of his animosity toward Rupert Murdoch of Fox News and Fred Ryan Jr., who is taking over the Center on Public Civility at the Reagan Foundation.
“Once we get further into the fall with different media outlets and venues hosting debates, I think Trump could reconsider his position,” said Mr. Kall, co-author of “Debating the Donald.” “Ultimately, if other Republican candidates have solid outings on the debate stage in Trump’s absence, we could see a closer race and the front-runner’s return to center stage. If the other candidates don’t do anything to distinguish themselves while debating or eliminate each other from contention, Trump may have no reason to ever debate during the primary and give opponents an opportunity to have a breakout moment at his expense.”
GOP rivals say he is being a chicken and must debate in front of the American people if he wants to return to the White House. They also said he is running scared because of his legal woes, which include two indictments in federal court and one each in New York and Georgia.
“Surprise, surprise … the guy who is out on bail from four jurisdictions and can’t defend his reprehensible conduct is running scared and hiding from the debate stage,” former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie posted on X after Mr. Trump confirmed his Milwaukee absence. “Trump — certified loser, verified coward.”
SEE ALSO: Iowa governor says GOP needs to narrow crowded presidential field
Candidates hoping for a breakout moment Wednesday will include Mr. DeSantis, Mr. Christie, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, former Vice President Mike Pence, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson.
Mr. Hutchinson said Sunday he will sign the loyalty pledge, despite his staunch opposition to Mr. Trump.
“I’m confident that Donald Trump is not going to be the nominee of the party, and I’ve always supported the nominee,” he told CNN’s “State of the Union.”
For now, Mr. Trump shows no signs of losing his grip on the nomination battle.
An NBC News/Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll conducted Aug. 13 to 17 found Mr. Trump has a 20-point lead over Mr. DeSantis, his closest rival.
Mr. Trump didn’t win Iowa’s caucuses, which kick off the primary season, in 2016. But his lead is the largest for any Republican in Iowa since George W. Bush ahead of his 2000 win.
Mr. Kall said Mr. Bush skipped the first two debates in the fall of 1999 and started with the third debate in New Hampshire that December.
“He obviously ended up winning the Republican nomination and the presidency,” he said.
• Ramsey Touchberry contributed to this report.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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