Trump Says It Would Be ‘Sort Of Foolish’ To Go To The Republican Debate

In an interview with Breitbart printed this week, Mr. Trump mentioned he had not determined whether or not he would be a part of the controversy, which is to be hosted by Fox News on Aug. 23 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. According to the outlet, the interview was taped on July 27.

“I haven’t totally made a decision. I like the debates. I might be here because of the debates. I might have won against Hillary [Clinton] with the debates, and I might have gotten the nomination because of the debates,” Mr. Trump mentioned.

“But when you’re leading by 50 and 60 points against these people, and you have people at zero, and 1 and 2—and then they’re going to be asking me hostile questions, and they probably won’t have much of an audience if I’m not in the debates according to what I read,” Mr. Trump continued. “If I’m not in the debates, then they’re not going to have a very big audience. It seems almost like it would be foolish to do them.”

According to the latest poll from Morning Consult—which surveyed 3,716 registered voters between July 28 and July 30—58 p.c of the respondents mentioned they might help Mr. Trump, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in a distant second with 15 p.c of help.

Vivek Ramaswamy was in third with 9 p.c of help, adopted by former Vice President Mike Pence with 7 p.c. None of the remaining Republican candidates picked up greater than 3 p.c of help.

Mr. Trump famous that he wouldn’t be the primary to skip a debate since former President Ronald Reagan didn’t take part in a single in 1980.

Furthermore, participating within the debate would imply placing himself up towards a “hostile network,” the previous president added.

“I feel it’s sort of foolish to be doing it,” Mr. Trump mentioned. “I think it could be stupid—it could be a stupid thing to do.

“But I have not made up a decision. I don’t mind doing them. I like to do them—I enjoy them, actually, and I think they’re a good thing. But when you’re leading somebody by 50 or 60 points, I think doing it might be foolish.”

At a marketing campaign rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, on July 29, Mr. Trump asked his supporters whether or not he ought to participate within the debate.

“Should I get up there with 10 or 12 hostile people and a hostile network and be abused with terrible questions?” Mr. Trump requested. “Should I do the debate?”

The crowd responded with a refrain of “no’s.”

Two days after the marketing campaign rally, Mr. Trump took to his Truth Social account, suggesting that the controversy might be a contest to see who might be his running mate.

“Let them debate so I can see who I MIGHT consider for Vice President!” Mr. Trump wrote.

Mr. DeSantis, who’s extensively seen as Mr. Trump’s greatest challenger for the GOP presidential nomination, has mentioned he’ll join the debate no matter Mr. Trump’s resolution. Last month, the governor known as on the previous president to affix the controversy.

“Nobody’s entitled to be nominated. You got to earn it. And I think he should show up and make his case and answer questions like the rest of us,” Mr. DeSantis instructed Newsmax.

Also, final month, Ronna McDaniel, chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, mentioned it will be “a mistake” for Mr. Trump to skip the controversy, saying that “not getting on the debate stage is just more of an opportunity for [President ] Joe Biden to continue to get his message out.”