Former US President Donald Trump stated he may not take part within the Republican Party’s first 2024 election major debate in August and should maintain another occasion, citing his lead in opinion polls and what he claims is the internet hosting community’s bias towards him.
In a phone interview with Reuters, Trump stated “possibly not” when requested if he could be on the debate, to be hosted by Fox News in Milwaukee on Aug. 23.
The debate would be the first probability for voters to see the Republican presidential candidates sq. off towards one another.
Trump referred to as Fox News, which he has criticized for not protecting his marketing campaign occasions, a “hostile network” and stated he noticed little benefit in debating candidates like former New Jersey governor Chris Christie who’re far behind him in polling.
“Why would I give them time to make statements? Why would I do that when I’m leading them by 50 points and 60 points,” Trump stated.
National polls have constantly confirmed him to be the front-runner within the Republican major race by a large margin.
A Reuters/Ipsos ballot earlier this month confirmed that some 43% of self-identified Republicans stated Trump was their most well-liked candidate, in comparison with 22% who picked Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Christie was at 2%.
Trump has drawn some criticism for beforehand suggesting he could skip the controversy.
Christie, a former Trump ally who’s now certainly one of his fiercest critics, has accused the previous president of being afraid to hitch the debates out of concern of dropping his lead within the race.
Trump stated he was entertaining affords to carry a separate occasion through the debate or later in the identical night.
“We’ve had a lot of offers, whether it’s a rally or whether it’s an interview by somebody else,” he stated. “Not to be braggadocious but the debate will not be a very exciting one if I’m not there.” —Reuters
Source: www.gmanetwork.com