WASHINGTON: All eyes are on former US president Donald Trump as the Republican White House hopefuls prepare to clash in the first debate of the 2024 race on Wednesday — with the main attraction (Trump) threatening not to show up.
Five months ahead of the beginning of initial race to select the party’s flagbearer, the runaway frontrunner’s grassroots back is as solid as ever, but various criminal cases have cast a pall over his comeback bid.
Trump (77), who is rarely out of the headlines, has been clear about possibly skipping the event in the midwesten city of Milwaukee, cautious of sharing the limelight with lower-polling contenders.
“I am leading the runner up, whoever that may now be, by more than 50 Points. Reagan didn’t do it, and neither did others. People know my Record, one of the BEST EVER, so why would I Debate?” Trump posted on social media on Thursday.
The New York Times reported Friday that Trump had told aides he was planning to outdo his rivals by skipping the event, organized by Fox News, and instead sitting for an online interview with one of its former hosts, Tucker Carlson.
“We haven’t confirmed anything on our end,” a campaign spokesman told AFP.
Whether he turns up or not, Trump will be facing attacks from his opponents over the four criminal and three civil trials he faces involving allegations before, during and after his scandal-plagued presidency.
“Obviously, his legal issues are affecting this race,” Fox News host Bret Baier, who will be moderating, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
“All these candidates have been asked non-stop about what’s happening in courtrooms around the country. So he’ll be a part of this debate whether he’s there or not.”
Seven other candidates have qualified, including state governors Doug Burgum and Ron DeSantis, Trump’s UN ambassador Nikki Haley, former vice president Mike Pence and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott.
Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie and Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy are threatening DeSantis’s runner-up spot in early nominating states New Hampshire and Iowa, and will be looking for openings to attack him.
The Republican National Committee has told Trump he needs to make a final decision by Monday if he wants a place onstage.
Though the billionaire dominates the field, polling well above his opponents, some allies worry that a no-show could give his opponents a chance to gain momentum.
Shortly after learning of his third indictment, the former US president had dinner at his New Jersey golf club with Fox News executives who reportedly suggested that DeSantis would steal the show in his absence.
Some political experts believe that Trump lost Iowa to Texas senator Ted Cruz in 2016 after skipping a debate.
