Ex-US President Donald Trump apparently does not want to debate with his party colleagues in the primaries and argues with his large lead in the polls.
Mar-a-Lago – Former US President Donald Trump apparently does not see the point in taking part in the Republican Party’s primary debates. Given his solid lead in the polls, he need not undergo such a scrutiny, Trump wrote in his on Tuesday social network “Truth Social”. The 76-year-old also complained about the presenters and the venue.
Former US President Donald Trump drinks at CPAC-DC, an annual gathering of conservative donors and political activists in the Washington DC area (March 2023).
Trump doesn’t want to be questioned by ‘angry’ moderators: ‘No one has my approval’
In the run-up to the presidential election, primary elections are held in the USA, with the help of which the political parties determine which candidate they will nominate. Traditionally, the respective candidates compete against each other beforehand in internal party debates. The Republican National Committee (RNC) had now published the first plans for the events: In August, a “Grand Old Party” debate was to take place in Milwaukee and later another one in the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California.
However, the 76-year-old politician apparently has no desire to take part. “I find that everyone talks about Republican debates, but nobody got my approval or that of the Trump campaign before they were announced,” the Republican complained to Truth Social. His lead is “seemingly insurmountable” anyway, and the questions in such debates are being asked by “angry Trump-hating moderators” from “hostile broadcasters,” Trump claimed. He wasn’t happy with one of the venues either. The second debate is taking place at the Reagan Library, “which surprisingly is chaired by Fred Ryan, the editor of the Washington Post, is. No!” the former president continued.
It’s not the first time Trump has threatened to skip a debate. As early as 2016, he wanted to cancel a primary debate in Iowa because the moderator did not suit him. Then-Fox news anchor Megyn Kelly was accused of not treating him “fairly.” He had clashed with the journalist in a previous debate because she had asked him critical questions. At the time, political observers suspected that the 76-year-old right-wing populist might want to avoid cross-examination on social issues. Also in 2019, Trump indicated that he did not want to take part in the presidential debates in the following year if they were hosted by the US broadcaster Fox News.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in 2021 with his former supporter, then US President Donald Trump (stock image).
Arch-conservative Governor Ron DeSantis and ex-Vice President Mike Pence are also expected to throw their hats in the ring for the Republican presidential election. DeSantis is considered a serious intra-party rival for Trump. The governor had recently teased the ex-president and distanced himself from his former sponsor. Whoever wins the Republican race will be up against incumbent US President Joe Biden.
