The first Republican primary debate will be held this Wednesday and GOP frontrunner Donald Trump has already made it clear he has no plans to attend. Sunday night, Trump took to Truth Social and declared that not only will he skip next week’s debate, but he has no plans to attend any Republican primary debates this campaign cycle.
Trump cited a CBS poll that has placed him far ahead of his competitors. He wrote, “New CBS POLL, just out, has me leading the field by ‘legendary’ numbers. TRUMP 62%, 46 Points above DeSanctimonious (who is crashing like an ailing bird!), Ramaswamy 7%, Pence 5%, Scott 3%, Haley 2%, Sloppy Chris Christie 2%, ‘Aida’ Hutchinson 1%.”
He continued, “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. I WILL THEREFORE NOT BE DOING THE DEBATES!”
The news is certainly interesting, though this isn’t the first time Trump has opted out of attending a debate. In 2016 he skipped more than one GOP debate with no real consequence. However, this update from Trump might disappoint RNC chair Ronna McDaniel, who told Fox News she hoped to see Trump on stage just hours before his announcement.
McDaniel told “Sunday Morning Futures” that, “I’m still holding out hope that [former] President Trump will come. I think it’s so important that the American people hear from all the candidates.”
Others, including competitor Mike Pence, have also continued to say they hope Trump changes his mind and shows up this week.
Trump previously shared that he will be sitting down for an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson on Wednesday, offering his own counterprogramming to the debate.
