Staff Reports
The former US president Donald Trump has surprised his fellow Republicans once again by suggesting that he would skip the 2024 primary contests. Trump reportedly claimed that no one had sought his or his campaign's approval before publicizing the debates and that he would not be able to take part given his prior encounters with biased debate moderators.
Should Trump agree to debate in the GOP primaries?
He's not happy about who will be hosting the debates.https://t.co/O02n8KRogI
— Conservative Brief (@ConservBrief) April 26, 2023
Trump also pointed to his unstoppable lead in the polls when he said he saw no need to take part in debates that may hurt his chances of winning. The first debate will take held in Milwaukee in August and will be moderated by Fox News. The Reagan Presidential Library in California will host a second Republican primary debate, but Trump said it may be manipulated.
Trump says that no one got his "approval, or the approval of the Trump Campaign" before announcing the RNC Primary Debates, and says NO to the current plan. pic.twitter.com/K5GFrhElrr
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) April 25, 2023
In the past, Trump is well-known for abstaining from a Fox-moderated debate and declining to back the GOP candidate in 2016. This time, he claims that Fox News is endorsing his leading Republican opponent Ron DeSantis, who he claims is running a "shadow campaign." Trump also questioned the fairness of the 2020 presidential debates and charged Chris Wallace, a former Fox News presenter, of bias.
Trump's choice has drawn criticism from some possible Republican challengers in 2024, but the Democrats are just as troublesome. Despite an apparent regime formation, the Democratic party is uniting around Joe Biden, who announced his reelection candidacy on Tuesday. Democrats are also refusing to allow any debates.
The Republican Party was taken aback by Trump's statement, but many who have studied his political history were not at all startled by his choice to boycott debates. Yet, it is unclear how this information may affect the 2024 elections.
