Sources familiar with the situation have revealed that former President Donald Trump is contemplating the possibility of forgoing the initial GOP presidential debate in August and instead hosting his own event at the same time, NBC News reported.
“He is not going to debate unless he’s forced to by changing polling,” said a source who added they advised Trump to participate in the GOP debate. “I disagree with it, but it is where he is.”
Newsmax added: “The report comes a day after Trump complained on Truth Social that Fox News did not cover his recent speech in Michigan or his address to the Faith & Freedom Coalition Conference in Washington, D.C.”
“So FoxNews, which is down 37% in the Ratings, doesn’t cover my getting the ‘Man of the Decade’ Award (because of my great trade policies!) in Michigan, or my Keynote Speech for Faith & Freedom in D.C., and then wants me to show up and get them ratings for their “Presidential” Debate, where I’m leading the field by 40 points,” Trump wrote on the platform.
“All they do is promote, against all hope, Ron DeSanctimonious, and he’s dropping like a rock. Sorry FoxNews, life doesn’t work that way!!” he added.
Another adviser said that Trump had asked “everyone and will get, like, 100 different opinions” about what he should do, the reports said.
“He wants to know what everyone thinks but will ultimately do what he wants to do. In general, he is asking everyone, from the bellman to [RNC Chair] Ronna McDaniel,” said the adviser.
Thus far, the source said, Trump hasn’t made a final decision, “but if he does not debate, I doubt he’s staying home.”
In April, Trump also strongly suggested he may not take part in the debates.
He took to his Truth Social then as well to lodge a complaint at the party’s leadership that no one went through him first since he’s the polling frontrunner: “I see that everybody is talking about the Republican Debates, but nobody got my approval, or the approval of the Trump Campaign, before announcing them. When you’re leading by seemingly insurmountable numbers, and you have hostile Networks with angry, TRUMP & MAGA hating anchors asking the ‘questions,’ why subject yourself to being libeled and abused? Also, the Second Debate is being held at the Reagan Library, the Chairman of which is, amazingly, Fred Ryan, Publisher of The Washington Post. NO!”
