{"id":2058136,"date":"2023-10-06T15:27:01","date_gmt":"2023-10-06T19:27:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rnc-members-admit-debates-without-trump-likely-pointless\/"},"modified":"2023-10-06T15:28:16","modified_gmt":"2023-10-06T19:28:16","slug":"rnc-members-admit-debates-without-trump-likely-pointless","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rnc-members-admit-debates-without-trump-likely-pointless\/","title":{"rendered":"RNC members acknowledge Trump&#8217;s absence renders debates meaningless."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/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%2Frnc-members-admit-debates-without-trump-likely-pointless%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=2058136&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--><blockquote>\n<h2>Republican National Committee\u200b Debates Without Trump Lack Meaning, Members Say<\/h2>\n<p>Several members of\u200b the Republican National Committee (RNC) have acknowledged that the recent debates with GOP\u200c presidential candidates \u2064are falling flat without the presence of former President Donald Trump, who remains the most popular Republican candidate by a wide\u200d margin.<\/p>\n<p>Despite polling\u2062 well above the rest of the field by at least 40 percentage points, Trump has \u200dchosen not to attend the first two debates hosted by Fox News. He has justified his absence by citing his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-senators-prepping-1t-infrastructure-counteroffer-to-biden\/\" title=\"GOP Senators Prepping T Infrastructure Counteroffer to Biden\">high poll numbers<\/a> and his status as a former president. RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel, on the other hand, has emphasized the importance of candidates pledging their support to the eventual GOP nominee.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;After the failure of the first debate, there should have been some severe introspection into what&#8217;s \u2063going on here. I think\u200c the\u200d only way you salvage it is\u200b if \u200byou \u2063get the front-runner there. \u2064Plan a debate where you get \u2063the front-runner to agree to it,&#8221; Tyler Bowyer, a national \u2062RNC committeeman from Arizona, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2023\/10\/05\/trump-presidential-debates-rnc-future-00120012?nname=playbook&#038;nid=0000014f-1646-d88f-a1cf-5f46b7bd0000&#038;nrid=eca31dce-3fd7-4ec3-babb-aeed66925a40&#038;nlid=630318\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">told<\/a> Politico this week.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote><\/div>\n<h2>Related Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<h3><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/trump-endorses-jim-jordan-for-house-speaker-5505105?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\">Trump Endorses \u2064Jim\u2063 Jordan for House Speaker<\/a><\/h3>\n<p class=\"text-comp-caption\">10\/6\/2023<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h3><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/trump-drops-lawsuit-against-lawyer-michael-cohen-intends-to-resume-legal-fight-later-5505025?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\">Trump Drops Lawsuit\u2062 Against Lawyer Michael Cohen, Intends to\u200c Resume\u2064 Legal Fight Later<\/a><\/h3>\n<p class=\"text-comp-caption\">10\/6\/2023<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Another member from Virginia suggested that\u2064 the RNC&#8217;s leadership is turning a blind eye to reality.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;You can&#8217;t put your head in the sand and pretend these debates are going to result in someone \u200dother than Donald Trump getting the nomination,&#8221; said Patti Lyman, the RNC&#8217;s \u200bnational committeewoman \u200cin Virginia, describing the debates as \u2064both &#8220;embarrassing&#8221; and &#8220;reflecting poorly on our party.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Trump himself \u200dhas called for an end to the debates, arguing \u2064that they undermine support for the eventual \u200cRepublican nominee in 2024. His campaign recently indicated that he will not participate in any future debates.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking \u200bto the\u2063 Daily Caller, Trump stated that the RNC\u2063 &#8220;has to stop the debates&#8221; as they are &#8220;bad for the Republican\u2064 Party.&#8221; His campaign\u200c emphasized the need for the RNC to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-rnc-launches-new-year-round-election-integrity-department-ahead-of-2024\/\" title=\"RNC creates year-round Election Integrity Department for 2024.\">prioritize election integrity<\/a> in 2024.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-figure\">\n<figure style=\"width:600px\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>Former President Donald Trump boards his private \u200cairplane, also known\u2062 as Trump Force One, as\u2063 he departs Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport after being booked at the Fulton County jail in Atlanta on Aug. 24, 2023. (Joe Raedle\/Getty\u200b Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The \u2062third debate is scheduled for Nov. 8 in Miami. While the first debate \u2062attracted over 12 million viewers on Fox News, the \u200bsecond debate \u2064on Fox Business saw a 25 percent drop, with around 9.5 \u2064million viewers, according to Nielsen ratings.<\/p>\n<p>Louis Gurvich, the \u2063head of the Republican Party of Louisiana, criticized the GOP\u2062 debates for demeaning the participating candidates. Roger Villere, Louisiana\u2019s national \u2062committeeman, echoed this sentiment, stating that a debate without the main participant, referring to Trump, serves little purpose.<\/p>\n<p>However, at least one RNC member believes the debates should continue.<\/p>\n<p>Georgia&#8217;s national committeeman, Jason Thompson,\u2064 acknowledged Trump&#8217;s lead \u200cbut emphasized the importance of following the RNC&#8217;s rules. &#8220;This is a process we have to go through regardless. We have primaries. We aren&#8217;t anointing \u2063people,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;If the former president doesn\u2019t want\u200b to come, that\u2019s on him,&#8221; added Oscar Brock, the national \u2063committeeman from Tennessee. &#8220;But we have every right to continue these and promote other options. He may have 40 percent of the vote, but he doesn\u2019t have 100 percent.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>After the first two debates, none of\u2064 the other GOP presidential candidates have managed to gain significant traction against President Trump.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>A recent aggregate of polls from RealClearPolitics as of Friday <a href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolitics.com\/epolls\/2024\/president\/us\/2024_republican_presidential_nomination-7548.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">shows<\/a> \u200bthat President Trump holds approximately 58 percent of the vote. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has 12.5 percent, \u2063former U.N. \u200cAmbassador Nikki Haley has 7.5 percent, and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy has 5.6 percent.\u200c Haley&#8217;s numbers have seen a slight increase in recent weeks, but the other candidates&#8217; numbers remain relatively stagnant.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>During the first debate, former Fox News host Tucker Carlson released his interview with President \u200cTrump \u2062on X, formerly Twitter. In the \u200dsecond debate, the former \u2064<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rnc-members-admit-debates-without-trump-likely-pointless\/\" title=\"RNC members acknowledge Trump's absence renders debates meaningless.\">president \u2064addressed striking autoworkers<\/a>\u2063 in Michigan, criticizing President\u2064 Joe \u200cBiden and urging union members to endorse him for president.<\/p>\n<p>However, Trump&#8217;s absence during the debates did not go unnoticed, with former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie accusing him of &#8220;ducking&#8221; the other candidates. &#8220;You\u2019re not here tonight because you\u2019re\u2062 afraid of being on this stage and defending your record. You\u2019re ducking these things,&#8221; Mr. Christie rhetorically addressed President Trump.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, some committee members have\u200d suggested that changes to the GOP debates may be necessary. Criticisms have been raised regarding the format of the first two debates and the moderators&#8217; questions for the candidates.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It would be nice to see that they were much more orderly,&#8221; said Steve Scheffler, the national committeeman from Iowa. &#8220;I don\u2019t\u2064 know \u200bwhat the \u200bsolution is. Certainly there need to be some improvements.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> How can\u2064 the RNC \u2064address concerns about the absence of Donald Trump from the debates and ensure \u2064their meaningful value for the party and its supporters?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  To hold these debates and allow the candidates\u2063 to showcase their ideas and qualifications. It&#8217;s important for Republican \u2062voters to have all the information they need to make an informed decision.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The absence of Donald Trump from the recent Republican National Committee (RNC) debates has sparked a\u2064 debate within the party \u2064itself. Several RNC members have expressed their concerns about the lack of \u200dmeaning and impact \u200cthese debates have without the presence of the former President, who remains the most\u200c popular Republican candidate by a significant\u200d margin.<\/p>\n<p>Despite consistently polling well above the rest\u200d of the field, Trump has chosen not to attend the first \u2062two debates \u200bhosted by \u2062Fox News. \u200dHe has justified his absence by citing his high poll numbers \u200dand his status as a \u2063former \u2063president. RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel, on the \u2064other hand, has emphasized the \u200cimportance of candidates pledging their\u2063 support to the\u200c eventual GOP nominee.<\/p>\n<p>The dissatisfaction \u200camong RNC members was \u2062evident in\u2064 the comments made \u2064by Tyler Bowyer, \u200ca \u200bnational RNC \u2064committeeman from Arizona. He criticized the \u200bfailure of the first debate\u200b and \u2062emphasized the\u200c need \u2063to include the front-runner in \u2064order to \u200csalvage\u200b the future debates. Bowyer \u200dsuggested planning a debate where the front-runner, Trump, agrees to participate.<\/p>\n<p>Patti Lyman, the RNC&#8217;s\u2062 national \u2063committeewoman in Virginia, echoed Bowyer&#8217;s sentiments. She criticized the RNC&#8217;s leadership\u200b for turning a blind eye \u200cto the reality \u200dthat\u200c Trump is likely to secure the\u2063 nomination. \u200bLyman \u200bdescribed the debates \u200bas embarrassing and reflecting poorly on the Republican Party.<\/p>\n<p>Trump himself has \u200dcalled for an end to the debates,\u200b arguing that \u2062they undermine \u200bsupport for the eventual Republican nominee in 2024. His campaign has \u200bindicated that he will not participate in any future debates. In a statement to the \u2064Daily Caller, Trump \u200bhighlighted the need for the RNC to prioritize election integrity in 2024 and suggested that the \u2062debates \u2063are\u2064 detrimental to\u200c the party.<\/p>\n<p>The\u200b upcoming third \u200bdebate, scheduled for November 8 in Miami, will be a crucial opportunity\u2063 for the \u2064RNC to address these concerns and reestablish the significance of the debates. The viewership for \u200dthe \u2063first debate \u2062exceeded 12 million on Fox News, but the second debate on Fox Business saw a\u200b significant drop of 25 percent, with around 9.5 million viewers, according to Nielsen ratings.<\/p>\n<p>Louis Gurvich, \u2062the head \u200bof the Republican \u200bParty of Louisiana, criticized the GOP \u2063debates for demeaning the participating candidates. Roger \u2062Villere, Louisiana&#8217;s national committeeman, echoed this sentiment, arguing that a debate without the main participant, referring to Trump, serves little \u200bpurpose.<\/p>\n<p>However,\u200b Georgia&#8217;s national committeeman, Jason \u200dThompson, acknowledged Trump&#8217;s lead but stressed the importance of \u200bfollowing\u200c the RNC&#8217;s rules. Thompson believes \u2063that the debates should\u2064 continue, regardless of Trump&#8217;s decision to participate.\u2062 He stated, &#8220;This is a\u200d process\u200c we have to go through regardless. We have primaries. We aren&#8217;t anointing people.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Oscar Brock, the national committeeman from Tennessee, also expressed support\u2064 for the continuation of the debates. He asserted that while the former \u2062president has \u200bevery right to abstain from participating, the RNC has the right to hold these debates and provide Republican voters with the necessary information to make informed\u200c decisions.<\/p>\n<p>As the debates\u2063 continue, it remains to be seen how the RNC will address the concerns \u200braised by its members and ensure that the discussions\u2064 hold \u200bmeaningful value for the party and\u200b its supporters.\u200d The future of the Republican Party may depend on finding a balance between<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Several RNC members acknowledged the insignificance of recent GOP debates without the presence of former President Donald Trump. Trump, the most favored Republican candidate, leads by a substantial margin of at least 40 percentage points. However, he has been absent from both debates.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":58,"featured_media":2058137,"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":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2058136","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"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\/2058136","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\/58"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2058136"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2058136\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2058137"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2058136"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2058136"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2058136"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}