Well, technically the Republican National Committee (RNC) doesn’t need approval from candidates to schedule a series of primary debates but this year the GOP is sort of in uncharted waters.
Former President Donald Trump still commands at least 50% support from the GOP base, sometimes higher in recent polls, and is the clear front-runner for the 2024 Republican nomination.
Just recently, RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel announced the first GOP primary debate would be hosted by Fox News in Milwaukee and take place in late August. McDaniel also recently mentioned a second debate at the Reagan Library as well, a traditional location for a Republican nod to Reaganism each election cycle.
However, Trump has now started questioning why he should bother participating in the debates given his massive polling lead and claims that he says he wasn’t consulted on the matter, USA Today reports:
Donald Trump threw the prospect of Republican presidential debates into doubt Tuesday, saying he might not participate and complaining about moderators and venues.
“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,” Trump said on his Truth Social media site.
The Republican National Committee, which has been negotiating with the GOP presidential campaigns, has announced partial plans for two debates: August in Milwaukee and a later one at the Ronald Reagan library in Simi Valley, Calif. No specific dates have been set.
In suggesting he might not attend, Trump said he has a big lead in polls and questioned why he would want to subject himself to “hostile NETWORKS” with “TRUMP & MAGA hating anchors” asking questions.
Trump ended his statement by noting that the publisher of The Washington Post newspaper is an officer with the Reagan library foundation and followed that with a single word: “NO!”
Back during the previous cycle, Trump famously skipped a Fox News debate in January 2016 in the midst of his feud with anchor Megyn Kelly. Various media outlets wrote at the time that skipping a date would spell the end of Trump’s campaign. It did not, of course, and Trump went on to win the 2016 nomination.
This cycle is a bit different. There’s little doubt the GOP would move forward and hold debates even if Trump refused to participate. The question is whether Trump would feel compelled to join the events rather than give his opponents, perhaps someone like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, two hours of free primetime publicity with little pushback.
Some of this could be bluster and a means to elevate himself seemingly above the RNC when it comes to decision-making surrounding how the primaries are to be conducted. In 2020, most state Republican party organizations canceled their primaries or caucuses and simply awarded Trump their delegates to re-nominate him.
In Trump’s view, 2024 should be similar since he’s basically the incumbent once again running for re-election, especially after being cheated out of his previous White House run.
On the other hand, Trump’s opponents will paint this as a move of fear. Why is he afraid to get on the debate stage? After all, most Republicans view his time in the White House as very favorable in terms of his policies and the health of the economy.
There are several months until August and the debate over debates will surely continue between Trump and the RNC.
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