Trump unsure about joining first GOP debate.
President Trump Undecided on Participating in Republican Presidential Debate
President Donald Trump is contemplating whether or not he will take part in the upcoming Republican presidential debate. In an interview with Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo, he hinted that it might not be necessary for him to participate, given his significant lead over his competitors for the nomination.
The Republican National Committee has set controversial requirements for candidates to qualify for the debate stage on August 23. These requirements include receiving donations from at least 40,000 unique donors and pledging support for the final nominee. Both of these requirements have drawn criticism from Trump and his opponents.
“Will you be on that stage? Are you participating in the upcoming debate?” Ms. Bartiromo asked.
Mr. Trump replied ambiguously, saying, “Well, you know, it’s quite an easy question normally. Ronald Reagan didn’t do it and a lot of other people didn’t do it. When you have a big lead, you know, you don’t do it.”
According to RealClearPolitics polling averages, Mr. Trump currently enjoys a 32.4 percent lead over his closest competitor in the GOP primary field. He pointed out that some of his opponents are polling at zero or very low percentages, while he consistently remains above 50 percent among likely Republican voters.
Meanwhile, Mr. Trump highlighted that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, the runner-up for the nomination, is polling in the teens in some cases, while he maintains a significant 45 percent lead.
“Why would you be doing a debate? It’s actually not fair. Why would you let somebody that’s at zero, or one, or two, or three, be popping you with questions?” Mr. Trump said.
Ms. Bartiromo asked, “Do you see any risk that if you don’t show up, Ron DeSantis has a good night and it cuts into your lead?”
Mr. Trump replied, ”Or somebody else has a good night and cuts into his lead. Because that’s what’s happening. He’s going down and a couple of them are going up.”
“I think Vivek [Ramaswamy] has done a very good job frankly, I think some others have done a good job,” Mr. Trump added. “So I haven’t really made up my mind.”
Potential VP, Cabinet Members
Mr. Trump also mentioned that some of the candidates appearing on the debate stage could be potential options for his running mate if he secures the nomination.
“Is there anyone on that stage you see as a potential running mate, as your VP?” Ms. Bartiromo asked.
“Possibly,” Mr. Trump replied. ”I think you have some good people on the stage. Actually, I think you have some very talented people. I’ve been impressed by some of them. Some of them I’m very friendly with, actually.
“I think you have good people. I think you have good potential Cabinet members too, actually,” Mr. Trump added, but refrained from mentioning specific names.
Ms. Bartiromo brought up Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) as a potential running mate or cabinet member.
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