WASHINGTON: Former US president Donald Trump has confirmed that he will not take part in Republican presidential debates this week with his rivals in the contest for the White House, arguing that Americans know him well so there is no need for a public showdown with his rivals for the White House.
In a message on his Truth Social platform, Trump touted what he called a hugely successful presidential republic and what he attributed to his popularity with the American people.
“This is why I will not lead the discussion!” he said.
The first debate in the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination is scheduled for Wednesday in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Trump’s post marked the latest in a wave of polls showing him far, far ahead of the Republican field, this one released Sunday by CBS News.
It said 62 percent of those polled would vote for him, even though he has been impeached four times this year, including on charges he tried to subvert American democracy by plotting to overturn the 2020 election and stay in power despite losing to Joe Biden.
Trump’s closest challenger in the CBS poll was Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at 16 percent. The rest of the people in the field are polled in single-digit fashion.
Trump wrote that DeSantis was “falling like a sick bird.”
“The public knows who I am and what a successful presidency I’ve had,” Trump said, referring to issues including energy, border security and the military and the economy.
The 77-year-old former president, who rarely makes headlines, has been vocal about possibly skipping the debate in the Midwestern city of Milwaukee, worried about sharing the spotlight with rivals in lower polls.
The New York Times reported Friday that Trump told aides he planned to show off his rivals by skipping the Fox News event and instead sitting down for an online interview with one of Fox’s former anchors, Tucker Carlson.
Even in his absence, Trump will be ripe for controversy from 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 affect this race,” Fox News anchor Bret Baier, who will moderate the debate, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
“All of these candidates have been questioned non-stop about what’s going on in courtrooms across the country. So he’s going to be part of that debate whether he’s there or not.”
Seven other candidates qualified for the debate, including state governors DeSantis and Doug Burgum, former Vice President Mike Pence, Trump’s UN ambassador Nikki Haley and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott.
While Trump dominates the field and polls well above his opponents, some allies worry that a no-show could give his rivals a chance to create a viral moment and gain momentum.
