(TheRedAlertNews.com) – In a bombshell development, Donald Trump has officially announced he will pull out of the first Republican presidential primary debate, which will now feature the eight other bidders for the 2024 GOP nomination.
Trump made the announcement in a Truth Social post, which cited a CBS News poll showing he enjoys a 46-point lead over Ron DeSantis, the next closest Republican presidential candidate.
“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!” wrote the 45th president of the United States.
Trump’s withdrawal from the first GOP primary debate in Milwaukee on Wednesday came after last week’s that he intended instead to have a pre-taped interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
The former president was widely expected to skip the first two Republican primary debates for various reasons, including potential risks associated with his four Democrat-led indictments, The Hill notes in a report.
Other factors involve Trump’s conflict with media tycoon Rupert Murdoch and his network, Fox News, which hosts the August 23 and September 27 GOP debates.
Trump has also previously protested against holding the second debate at the Ronald Reagan President Library in California because former Washington Post publisher Fred Ryan, Jr., is in charge of the Center on Public Civility at the Reagan Foundation.
At the same time, there are expectations that Trump could change his stance and rejoin the 2024 Republican primary debates at a later stage – not unlike Georgia W. Bush, who skipped the first couple of debates in 1999 and still won the nomination and the presidential election, The Washington Times points out.
“Once we get further into the fall with different media outlets and venues hosting debates, I think Trump could reconsider his position,” University of Michigan Director of Debate Aaron Kall told the news outlet.
“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,” he elaborated.
“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,” the analyst concluded.
Trump plans to counter-program the first debate through an interview with conservative host Tucker Carlson.https://t.co/Kbv6xic2IN
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) August 21, 2023
