{"id":2009004,"date":"2023-08-23T07:08:01","date_gmt":"2023-08-23T11:08:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republican-debate-with-front-runner-trump-out-will-gop-voters-tune-in\/"},"modified":"2023-08-23T07:09:55","modified_gmt":"2023-08-23T11:09:55","slug":"republican-debate-with-front-runner-trump-out-will-gop-voters-tune-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republican-debate-with-front-runner-trump-out-will-gop-voters-tune-in\/","title":{"rendered":"Will GOP voters still watch the Republican debate without Trump as the front-runner?"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Frepublican-debate-with-front-runner-trump-out-will-gop-voters-tune-in%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2009004&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Former President Donald Trump Declines Participation in GOP Debate<\/h2>\n<p>Former President\u200b Donald Trump has announced that he will not be participating in the highly anticipated GOP debate this week. This decision has raised\u200d questions about\u2062 the event&#8217;s ability to capture the attention of undecided voters and\u2062 whether it will be worth\u2062 watching \u200cat all.<\/p>\n<p>Despite Trump&#8217;s absence, eight candidates have qualified for the debate, setting the stage for\u200c them to distinguish themselves from the crowded field just months before the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republican-debate-with-front-runner-trump-out-will-gop-voters-tune-in\/\" title=\"Will GOP voters still watch the Republican debate without Trump as the front-runner?\">primary election cycle begins<\/a>. With Trump out of the picture, the candidates\u2063 are expected to shift their focus away from the former \u2063president and instead establish themselves as the strongest contender to \u200bsecure the nomination.<\/p>\n<h3>Republican Debate: \u2064RNC Announces\u200b the Eight GOP 2024 Contenders Who Made\u200c the Cut<\/h3>\n<p>&#8220;At this point and this early in\u2063 the process, it&#8217;s really more about trying to get themselves up in the polls,&#8221; said Todd Belt, a professor and director of the political management master&#8217;s program at George Washington University. &#8220;A lot of the people who will be\u200c watching are non-Trump voters, which is exactly the \u2064type of segment that these candidates are trying to appeal to \u2064because they know that their ability to shift votes away from Trump is very, very limited.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Trump confirmed on Sunday that he would not participate in the debates, citing \u2062his dominance in the polls \u2062as evidence\u200d that his \u2063presence would \u2064be unnecessary.<\/p>\n<p>The decision came shortly after CBS News released a new \u2062poll showing Trump leading the field by nearly 50 points, with approximately 62% of voters expressing their support for the former president. Governor Ron \u200bDeSantis (R-FL) came in a distant second with\u200d 16% support, while no other candidate managed \u2063to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/donald-trump-leads-in-republican-2024-primary-by-double-digits\/\" title=\"Donald Trump Leads In Republican 2024 Primary By Double Digits\">garner double-digit support<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;New CBS POLL, just out, has \u2064me leading the field by &#8216;legendary&#8217; numbers,&#8221; Trump stated in a Truth Social post. &#8220;The public knows who I am\u2063 &#038; what a successful Presidency I had, with\u200c Energy Independence, Strong Borders &#038; Military, Biggest EVER Tax &#038; Regulation Cuts, No Inflation, Strongest Economy in History, &#038; \u2063much more. I WILL\u200b THEREFORE NOT BE DOING THE DEBATES!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Instead of participating in \u200cthe debates, Trump plans to promote\u2062 counterprogramming scheduled at the same time, aiming to divert attention\u2063 away from the event.<\/p>\n<p>This decision has faced pushback from some members of the Republican Party who\u2062 argue that the debates provide an opportunity for candidates to differentiate themselves in a crowded field and give those lagging in the polls a chance to catch up with Trump.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The Republican nomination is not a foregone conclusion, \u200bdespite what the liberal media says,&#8221; stated \u200cRepresentative Ralph Norman (R-SC). &#8220;It&#8217;s important for Republican voters to see which candidates are capable of winning in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/impossible-gop-picked-up-seats-in-house-picked-up-state-legislatures-picked-up-governorship-held-the-senate-but-sniffy-joe-won-not-a-chance\/\" title=\"IMPOSSIBLE: GOP Picked Up Seats in House, Picked Up State Legislatures, Picked Up Governorship, Held the Senate -- But Sniffy Joe Won?... NOT A CHANCE\">general election<\/a> and who is not. These debates will provide the perfect\u200d opportunity for that, and I think you&#8217;ll see Nikki Haley rise to the top.&#8221; (Norman endorsed former U.N. Ambassador Nikki \u2063Haley \u2062for the GOP nomination in February.)<\/p>\n<p>Some presidential candidates \u2063have \u2064also expressed \u200ctheir disagreement with Trump&#8217;s decision,\u2064 emphasizing the importance\u2063 for voters\u200b to see each platform before \u200cmaking their decision. Senator \u2062Tim Scott (R-SC) stated \u200din an interview with Fox News that he hoped Trump would\u2062 participate, noting that it is \u200ccrucial for\u200c voters to see candidates&#8217; &#8220;vision for America and how our\u200c presidency would change the tide.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The American people deserve to see each candidate&#8217;s vision for our country,&#8221; a spokesperson for the Scott campaign later told the Washington Examiner. &#8220;Tim Scott will share his optimistic \u2064and positive message rooted in conservative values and show how his leadership will end the Biden administration&#8217;s retreat.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Trump&#8217;s absence from the stage, coupled with his plans to air a prerecorded interview with ex-Fox News host Tucker Carlson at\u200c the same time as the \u200ddebate, has raised questions about who will actually tune into\u200c the event. Without Trump&#8217;s participation, many of his supporters may not be inclined to watch, potentially disrupting \u2062the candidates&#8217; efforts to appeal to his base.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m not \u200bbuying that,&#8221; said Robert Doar, president of the\u2063 American Enterprise Institute. &#8220;I just don&#8217;t think that the \u2064only people that vote in primaries \u2063are going to be people that are infatuated with Donald Trump. It&#8217;s a good chance that because of the importance of this election, because of the controversy surrounding him, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/8-times-ron-desantis-stood-up-to-the-media-and-went-viral\/\" title=\"8 Times Ron DeSantis Stood Up To The Media And Went Viral\">primary voters<\/a> in those states are going to be different than previous primary voters in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/yale-law-students-said-a-top-journal-was-racist-admissions-data-suggest-otherwise\/\" title=\"Yale Law Students Said a Top Journal Was Racist. Admissions Data Suggest Otherwise.\">previous years<\/a>.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;If you\u2064 just look at the numbers,\u200c there are a lot more Republicans who could vote in those\u2063 primaries that have voted in the \u200cpast,&#8221; he added. \u2063&#8221;If those Republicans\u200c turn out, they are much more open to voting \u200dfor one of the other candidates than for Trump.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\">Click here to read more from the Washington \u200dExaminer<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The debate is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. on Wednesday in Milwaukee \u200cand will \u200dbe\u2062 broadcast by Fox News, the host of the event. The debate will be moderated by Fox News hosts Bret Baier and Martha \u2063MacCallum.<\/p>\n<p>Eight candidates \u200dwill participate, including DeSantis, Haley, \u2063entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former Vice President Mike Pence, Scott, former New Jersey Governor\u2063 Chris Christie, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, and former Arkansas Governor \u200bAsa Hutchinson.<\/p>\n<p>Julia Johnson contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Former President Donald Trump&#8217;s absence from the upcoming GOP debate has cast doubt on its ability to attract undecided voters and benefit other candidates in the polls. With only eight candidates qualifying, the debate&#8217;s significance and viewership remain uncertain.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2009005,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2009004","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2009004","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2009004"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2009004\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2009005"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2009004"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2009004"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2009004"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}