Trump Considers Stepping Back from Initial 2024 GOP Debates

LISTEN HERE:

A recent update on the possible involvement of ex-President Donald Trump in the forthcoming 2024 Republican primary debates has been provided by one of his senior advisors. Jason Miller, during his conversation with The Hill on NewsNation on Tuesday, presented an enlightening update.

As it stands, Miller clarified that Mr. Trump seems less inclined to engage in the initial two debates. Participating in the first few debates does not appear to be a strategic move given his opponents’ current polling figures, which seemingly linger around three, four, and five percent.

Miller maintains this stance, although it does not necessarily depict the final decision.

Miller went on to explain, ‘Ultimately, it will be President Trump who’ll make the deciding call closer to the time.’ He also added, ‘He has not expressly confirmed his participation or non-participation. As of now, I expect him not to take part, however.’

Trump’s nearest rival for the nomination seems to be the Governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis. However, according to a majority of the polls, DeSantis trails by a considerable margin. Polls indicate single-digit support for the remaining pool of GOP candidates.

Last week, despite mere speculation of the debate participants, DeSantis announced his intention to participate. ‘I am certainly going to be part of the debates, irrespective of who else shows up,’ says DeSantis. ‘I am optimistic that all eligible candidates will take part as it is an essential aspect of the process.’

He continued, ‘I eagerly await the opportunity to introduce our candidacy, our vision, and our leadership to a more extensive audience.’ This statement was given during DeSantis’s interview on ‘Fox News Tonight’ on Thursday.

The calendar marks August 23 as the date for the inaugural GOP debate. Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has been announced the host site by Fox News.

Fox News noted that Trump, who’s noticeably ahead in the most recent GOP primary polls, might skip the first debate, largely due to his significant lead over alternative Republican contenders.

Yet, officials from Trump’s campaign say that the ex-president has not definitively decided on his involvement in the forthcoming debate. There have been reports about Trump’s team considering alternative arrangements if he should decide to absence himself from the debate.

Arrangements concerning all debates are being undertaken by the Republican National Committee. The RNC has defined specific criteria for candidates to be eligible for the platform, which include high levels of financial support and polling.

Both Trump’s and DeSantis’s teams, in addition to the campaigns of the former ambassador and South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, and biotech innovator Vivek Ramaswamy, have declared meeting the necessary thresholds.

Trump’s indication that he may withdraw from at least the inaugural debate has not been well-received amongst other Republican candidates. Chris Christie, ex-Governor of New Jersey, expressed particular dissatisfaction towards Trump’s stance on this point last month.

During an appearance on Fox & Friends, host Brian Kilmeade got in touch with Christie from a diner in New Hampshire.

Christie was shown a clip from a recent interview where Trump spoke to Bret Baier. In this interaction, Trump confessed to Baier that considering his poll standing compared to other GOP contenders, he does not see himself gaining much from participating in the primary debates.

In response to this, Trump stated, ‘Christie has, I believe, a 1% or less support rate. Nikki Haley and many others are barely at 2%. Therefore, I am questioning the fairness of being held accountable by contenders with 1%, 2%, or even 0% support ratings.’ Kilmeade sought Christie’s reaction.

‘Oh, it’s unjust, Brian. It definitely is flawed.’ With these words, Christie presumably tried to evoke a reply from Trump, assuming that Trump was likely watching Fox & Friends at the time. Christie, attempting ironic compassion, called out, ‘Poor Donald Trump.’

Slightly ridiculing Trump, he furthered, ‘This is a man who aspires to be the president of the United States, proclaiming himself as the hardest candidate to lead the country but hesitates to appear in front of Republican primary voters to defend his track record and advocate for America’s future.’