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Donald Trump said on Sunday that he will skip this week’s first Republican presidential debate, arguing that Americans know him well and that there is no need for a public showdown with his rivals for the White House.
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In a message on his Truth Social platform, Trump touted what he called a record of great success as president, saying “THEREFORE, I WILL NOT BE IN THE DEBATES!”
The first debate in the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination is scheduled for Wednesday in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
In his post, Trump signaled the latest in a wave of polls showing him far, far ahead of the Republican field, including one from CBS News released Sunday.
He said 62 percent of respondents to the poll would vote for him even though he has been indicted four times this year, including on charges that he tried to subvert American democracy by conspiring to overturn the 2020 election and remain in office. power despite his loss to Joe. Biden.
Trump’s closest contender in the CBS poll was Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, with 16 percent. The rest of those on the field are voting in single digits.
Trump wrote that DeSantis is “crashing like a sick bird.”
“The public knows who I am and what a successful presidency I had,” Trump said, citing issues like energy, border security and the military, and the economy.
The 77-year-old former president, who rarely makes headlines, had spoken out about skipping the debate in the Midwestern city of Milwaukee, fearing he would share the spotlight with lower-voting rivals.
The New York Times reported Friday that Trump had told aides he planned to upstage his rivals by skipping the event, hosted by Fox News, and instead attending an online interview with former Fox host Tucker Carlson. .
Even in his absence, Trump will be ready for barrages from opponents over the four criminal and three civil trials he faces on charges before, during and after his scandal-plagued presidency.
“Obviously, his legal issues are affecting this race,” Fox News host Bret Baier, who will moderate the debate, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
“All of these candidates have been asked non-stop about what’s going on in courts across the country. So he’s going to be a part of this debate whether he’s there or not.”
Seven other candidates have qualified for the debate, including state governors DeSantis and Doug Burgum, former Vice President Mike Pence, Trump’s UN ambassador Nikki Haley and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott.
While Trump dominates the field, leading his opponents by far in the polls, some allies worry that an absence could give his rivals a chance to create viral momentum and build momentum.
(AFP)
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