Trump Confirms He'll Skip GOP Presidential Debates

Facts

• On Sunday, former US Pres. Donald Trump confirmed that he won't participate in the upcoming Republican debates about the party's 2024 presidential nomination.¹
• Posting on the social media platform Truth Social, Trump argued that "the public knows who I am & what a successful Presidency I had," also pointing to what he described as his current "legendary" polling statistics.²
• The former president referred to a CBS poll released Sunday showing he has 62% of support among Republican voters, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis holding 16% and all other candidates combined with less than 10% respectively.³
• Trump has stated in prior months that he was unlikely to attend the party's initial debate in Milwaukee this Wednesday. In an interview with Fox News in June, Trump questioned why he would "allow people at 1 or 2% and 0%" in polling to question him.⁴
• Instead of attending the debate, Trump will reportedly release a pre-recorded interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson according to sources.⁵
• Trump has also previously said he would not sign a "loyalty pledge" supporting the party's choice of a candidate if he were not to win the GOP nomination. He remains eligible to take part in the next party debate, taking place in September in California.⁶

Sources: ¹Reuters, ²BBC News, ³Al Jazeera, ⁴Associated Press, ⁵NBC, and ⁶POLITICO.

Narratives

• Pro-Trump narrative, as provided by The Last Refuge. There's little that Trump needs to do to cement his position within an extremely uncompetitive race for the Republican nomination. Wednesday's debate shouldn't be about those with paltry poll numbers dominating the conversation. Trump's polls continue to skyrocket and there are better forums for communicating his agenda to the American people.
• Anti-Trump narrative, as provided by Journal Sentinel. While the importance of the Milwaukee debate is damaged by Trump's lack of appearance, the stage will be an opportunity to separate those who are willing to attack Trump for his lack of fitness to serve office and those who choose not to. While Trump's shadow is destined to loom over the debate, candidates must take a stand against the threat he poses to American democracy.

Predictions