Trump’s 2024 Competition Drags His Plan To Skip Debate

Topline

Former President Donald Trump’s 2024 competition is piling on against his reported plans to skip the first primary debates, calling him “scared” and “afraid”—marking some of the strongest criticism Trump has faced from his competitors, as Republicans have largely shied away from rebuking the ex-president.

Then-Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) participate in the Fox … [+] Business Network Republican presidential debate at the North Charleston Coliseum and Performing Arts Center on January 14, 2016 in North Charleston, South Carolina. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

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Key Facts

Trump has told associates he does not want the other candidates to benefit from the larger audience he’d likely draw by participating in the debates, and has also cited his widening lead in polls, along with his vendettas against the two hosting entities, in explaining his desire to sit out the first two events, the New York Times reported Tuesday.

Trump is also reportedly concerned the debates would draw attention to the various investigations against him, including his indictment in Manhattan Criminal Court last month on charges of falsifying business records in order to cover up hush-money payments made to Stormy Daniels in exchange for silence about their alleged affair.

Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who announced his candidacy in February, became the latest Trump competitor to criticize his plans on Wednesday, telling ABC News, “I think he might be scared of being on a debate stage,” adding that Trump’s absence could benefit the other candidates by giving them more air time.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a frequent Trump critic who is weighing a run for the White House, also blasted Trump in a Wednesday interview, telling conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt Trump is “afraid to get on the stage with people who are serious.”

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, who is also considering jumping into the primary race, told Hewitt Trump is “wimping out” in an interview last week, after Trump suggested on Truth Social he may skip the debates, adding “he says he’s a fighter, but now he doesn’t want to actually . . . have discussions and debate.”

Aside from Christie, Trump’s potential GOP competition has steered clear of arguments with the notoriously vindictive ex-president, and many, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (who has yet to announce his candidacy), jumped to his defense when he was indicted in Manhattan Criminal Court last month.

Crucial Quote

Trump questioned why he should expose himself “to being libeled and abused” in debates overseen by “hostile Networks with angry, TRUMP & MAGA hating anchors” in a Truth Social post last week, while also citing his “seemingly insurmountable” polling lead.

Tangent

Trump is sour on the first two debates, in part, because of his qualms with the two hosting entities, the Times reported, citing sources. Trump has been feuding with Fox News, which is hosting the first debate in Milwaukee in August, since it declared President Joe Biden the winner of the 2020 presidential election and has strayed from fawning coverage of Trump in recent years. And he’s reportedly vexed that the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library—which is set to hold the second debate in Simi Valley, Calif.—has hosted other prominent Republicans for speaking events, including DeSantis. Trump has also taken note of its connection to the Washington Post, an outlet Trump has repeatedly criticized and whose publisher and CEO Frederick Ryan Jr. serves as chair of the library’s board of trustees.

Key Background

Trump has widened his polling lead since announcing his candidacy in November, when some surveys showed DeSantis pulling out ahead of the former president in a hypothetical matchup. An Emerson College survey released last week found Trump leading DeSantis by 46 points, his widest lead yet that comes as he’s sought to cast the various investigations against him, including his indictment in Manhattan Criminal Court, as politically motivated “witch hunts”—a narrative that appears to be resonating with voters and rallying GOP lawmakers to his defense. So far, only four other GOP candidates have announced challenges to Trump: Ramaswamy, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and conservative radio show host Larry Elder. In addition to DeSantis, Christie and Sununu, former Vice President Mike Pence, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo are also considering running.

Surprising Fact

Trump has not committed to supporting the eventual 2024 GOP nominee, a pledge Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel has said all Republican candidates must make in order to participate in debates. Trump was notably the only candidate at the first 2016 GOP primary debate to refuse to pledge to support a nominee other than himself. McDaniel has promised the party will remain neutral in the 2024 primaries.