Topline
Former President Donald Trump Sunday confirmed he will not participate in the GOP Primary Debates, as he once again pointed to polling numbers that highlight his sizeable lead over the rest of the field.
Former President Donald Trump confirmed he will not be participating in the GOP Primary Debates.
Key Facts
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump cited a new CBS Poll, saying it has him “leading the field by ‘legendary’ numbers.”
According to the poll, the former president is now 46 points ahead of his nearest rival, Florida Gov. Ron Desantis.
Trump used the poll numbers to take shots at his rivals, calling the Florida Gov. “DeSanctimonious,” saying he was “crashing like an ailing bird,” and referring to former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie as “sloppy.”
He claimed the polling numbers showed that the “public knows who I am” and said, “I WILL THEREFORE NOT BE DOING THE DEBATES!”
This is the first time Trump has outright confirmed his plans to not participate in any of the debates, after previously signaling that he wants to skip the first one.
What To Watch For
Despite skipping the first televised debate on Wednesday, Trump reportedly does not want to stay away from the spotlight and is reportedly set to run counterprogramming during that time. Last week, the New York Times reported that Trump will be interviewed by former Fox News prime-time anchor Tucker Carlson, which may be released in the same time slot as the debate. After being sacked by Fox News, Carlson has been releasing a series of videos on X, formerly known as Twitter, but it is unclear if the purported Trump interview will also be airing there.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2023/08/21/trump-confirms-he-wont-participate-in-gop-primary-debates-and-brags-about-legendary-polling-numbers/