Former President Donald Trump announced Sunday night that he will not attend the Republican presidential debate, ending weeks of frenzied speculation.
Trump cited a recent CBS News poll that gives him his biggest lead to date ahead of his flailing opponents in the 2024 Republican primary race. The former president is competing against Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, among others.
UP FOR DEBATE: TRUMP, DESANTIS, AND 2024 GOP HOPEFULS’ STANCE ON CRIME
Trump confirms he won’t be doing any debates. (Plural.) pic.twitter.com/buTDl3fCni
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) August 20, 2023
“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,” Trump’s posted. “I WILL THEREFORE NOT BE DOING THE DEBATES!”
The poll Trump cited puts him at 62% among likely Republican primary voters asked for whom they would vote. It marks Trump’s biggest lead in the network’s polling, with DeSantis in a distant second at 16%.
Trump’s lead comes despite the multiple legal troubles he is facing, including indictments on keeping classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago residence and the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, as well as last week’s Georgia indictment on election interference.
Trump’s decision not to partake in the debate ends weeks of speculation. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, one of the Republicans running in the party’s primary, asked Trump to partake in the debate on Wednesday and “stop being such a coward.”
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Trump is widely expected to launch some form of counterprogramming on the night, with reports last week suggesting he was going to sit down for a one-on-one with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson. Last month, the former president called the idea of an interview with Carlson an “interesting” idea.
The debate will be held on Wednesday at 9 p.m. and will be moderated by Fox News, Carlson’s former employer.
