NEW YORK — Former US President Donald Trump confirmed on Sunday that he will not take part in the first scheduled Republican primary debate for the upcoming presidential elections.
“The public knows who I am and how successful my presidency has been. So I will not go to the debates,” Mr. Trump wrote on Thruth Social, the social network he launched.
Reached by the Associated Press, a spokesman for the former president would not confirm whether Mr. Trump will be absent from all the debates or only from those that have already been announced.
Mr. Trump, who has a considerable lead in the race for the Republican nomination according to the polls, has often repeated that he sees little advantage in crossing swords with his rivals on stage during the debates, which begin on Wednesday in Milwaukee.
“Why would I allow people who are 1%, 2% or 0% to ask me questions all evening?” he said in a June interview with Fox News host Bret Baier, who will be moderating on Wednesday.
Mr Trump has also repeatedly criticized Fox, insisting it is a “hostile channel” which he says will not treat him fairly.
Lately, Mr. Trump has discussed several options available to him to direct attention to him rather than the televised debate on Fox on Wednesday night.
The rumor, reported in particular by the New York Times, has it that he has already recorded an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who currently hosts a show on the X social network, formerly known as Twitter.
“We can neither confirm nor deny — stay tuned,” Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said.
The former president also floated the idea of showing up for the debate in Milwaukee at the last minute or just going there to sit in the audience and offer live commentary on Truth Social.
Mr. Trump’s decision marks another chapter in his feud with Fox, of which he was once a staunch defender. The chain is however seen as being favorable to its main rival, the governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis.
Fox executives pressured Mr. Trump to attend the debate, both privately and on the air.
Mr Trump, according to an Associated Press source, was not swayed, however, believing that leaders would not have courted him if they were not concerned about the effect of his absence on their ratings. ‘listen.
Mr. Trump’s decision not to debate has caused backlash from his rivals in the race for the Republican nomination.
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, one of the few candidates to directly attack Mr. Trump, notably accused the former president of “lacking the courage to run”. He even called him a “coward”.
Mr Trump, for his part, pushed back against those attacks, telling Newsmax’s Eric Bolling that he saw little benefit in participating in the debates when he was already leading the race.
“It’s not a matter of guts. It’s a matter of intelligence,” he said.
2023-08-21 05:06:18
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