In what could be described as the worst-kept secret in politics, former President Donald Trump has decided he will not participate in the Republican presidential debates. He cited his commanding double-digit lead in Republican primary polls as the main reason for not participating. It would be the second presidential election cycle in which Trump broke tradition and skipped a debate. However, while the Trump campaign may think it’s a shrewd political maneuver, it’s actually self-destructive insofar as it establishes a precedent for President Joe Biden to skip debating Trump (assuming he is the GOP nominee) in the general election.