Members of former President Donald Trump's inner circle have reported that the Republican front-runner plans to skip 2024's first presidential primary debate for an interview with Tucker Carlson. The news is expected to upset Trump's GOP rivals, who are desperately competing for breathing room in a 24-hour news cycle increasingly dominated by the former president. It will be taken as an insult by the Republican National Committee (RNC) as well, which has sanctioned the debate and repeatedly urged Trump to attend.
In the past 24 hours, Mr. Trump has told people close to him that he has made up his mind and will skip the debate in Milwaukee, according to two of the people briefed on the matter.
Mr. Trump is notoriously mercurial, and left himself something of an out to change his mind with an ambiguous post on his website, Truth Social, on Thursday. He wrote that he's polling well ahead of his rivals and added, “Reagan didn't do it, and neither did others. People know my Record, one of the BEST EVER, so why would I Debate?”
For weeks, the former president has been quizzing aides, associates and rally crowds about what he should do. Until earlier this week, Mr. Trump had been giving people the impression he was considering a last-minute surprise appearance on Wednesday.
Still, people close to him had said for months that he was unlikely to take part in the first two Republican debates, both of which are sponsored by the Republican National Committee. And Mr. Trump's apparent decision to skip the first debate of the presidential nominating contest is a major affront to both the R.N.C. and Fox News, which is hosting the event.
Trump continues to say he won't sign the RNC's loyalty pledge to support the eventual Republican presidential nominee if it's not him, going so far as to reject an in-person plea at his New Jersey golf club by RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel.
Neither representatives for Trump, the RNC nor Fox News have responded to the Times' request for comment.
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Ronna and the RNC aren’t the solution, they are a big part of the problem. They are a different channel of the same swamp. They support the McConnells, Murkowskik’s and Pierre Delecto’s that stab conservatives in the back. Not only do we fight democrats and their liberal BS trying to destroy our country we also have to fight those within the Republican Party who would harm us. That is the major reason to stand with Trump. He will stand for us against both parties