Topline
Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he will participate in GOP presidential debates this fall, even if former President Donald Trump is not on the stage—but it’s unclear whether the commitment means that DeSantis will also support the party’s eventual nominee, as the Republican National Committee requires in order to debate.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his family marched in the Fourth of July parade in Wolfeboro, New … [+]
Key Facts
DeSantis said, “I’ll be there, regardless” of whether or not Trump participates, he told Fox News host Will Cain on Thursday, adding, “I hope everybody who’s eligible comes.”
GOP candidates qualify for the party’s official debates by recording a minimum of 40,000 financial donors to their campaigns, and must sign a pledge to support the party’s eventual nominee in order to participate, GOP Chair Ronna McDaniel has said.
Cain did not ask him about the pledge, and DeSantis has dodged questions about whether he would support Trump if he is the nominee, telling reporters while campaigning in South Carolina last month that he would “respect the outcome of the process.”
Forbes has reached out to DeSantis’ campaign.
Trump has reportedly said he doesn’t want to draw attention to other candidates or Fox News, which is hosting the first debate, and is expected to sit it out.
Other GOP candidates have given mixed statements about their plans to sign the pledge: Former vice president Mike Pence and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson have reluctantly said they’ll support the nominee, while expressing their hopes that it’s not Trump. South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Sen. Tim Scott (S.C.) have said they would back the Republican candidate.
Chief Critic
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie called the RNC pledge a “useless . . . bad idea” in an interview with CNN last month, but said he would do whatever he needs to do “to be up on the [debate] stage.”
What To Watch For
The RNC will hold its first debate on August 23 in Milwaukee.
Tangent
The Florida Republican Party will also require candidates to sign a pledge by November 22 to endorse the GOP nominee in order to appear on the March 19 primary ballot. Florida runs a winner-take-all primary in which the candidate with the most votes is awarded all 125 delegates.
Key Background
DeSantis has had a rocky start to his campaign, beginning with his botched Twitter announcement on May 24, and has struggled to put a dent in Trump’s early polling lead, which stands at 29 points over DeSantis, according to FiveThirtyEight’s polling average. DeSantis’ allies have begun to publicly acknowledge the challenge. A spokesperson for the pro-DeSantis Never Back Down PAC called his campaign an “uphill battle” and referred to Trump as the “runaway front-runner” in a discussion on Twitter Spaces Sunday. When asked by Cain on Thursday about his fledgling poll numbers and criticism that his personality is not resonating with voters, DeSantis blamed “people like the corporate media” and Mexican president López Obrador, who recently called on Americans not to vote for DeSantis. “I think if you look at all these people that are responsible for a lot of the ills in our society, they are targeting me as the person they don’t want to see as the candidate,” he said.
Key Background
Trump Planning To Skip Early GOP Debate Amid Polling Lead, Report Says (Forbes)
Trump Called ‘Scared’ And ‘Afraid’: 2024 Foes Drag Him For Skipping Debate (Forbes)
GOP Sen. Rick Scott Weighs Presidential Run, Report Says: Here’s The Full 2024 Primary List (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2023/07/07/desantis-says-hell-participate-in-gop-debates-but-unclear-if-hell-pledge-support-for-nominee/