Donald Trump has stated he will not take part in the upcoming GOP presidential primary debate while citing how former President Ronald Reagan also skipped a debate during his 1980 campaign.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump suggested that there is no need for him to appear at the televised debate in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on August 23 because he is currently leading the polls by such an overwhelming margin.
Trump also noted how in 1980, Reagan skipped a GOP primary debate in Iowa—the first one ever to be televised—because he was the frontrunner and did not see the need to take part.
While Reagan lost the 1980 Iowa caucus to George H.W. Bush, Reagan clinched the Republican presidential nomination and eventually won the general election in a landslide with Bush as his running mate.
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“Many people are asking whether or not I will be doing the DEBATES? ALL AMERICANS have been clamoring for a President of extremely High Intelligence,” Trump wrote.
“As everyone is aware, my Poll numbers, over a ‘wonderful’ field of Republican candidates, are extraordinary. In fact, I am leading the runner up, whoever that may now be, by more than 50 Points,” he added.
“Reagan didn’t do it, and neither did others. People know my Record, one of the BEST EVER, so why would I Debate? I’M YOUR MAN. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Trump has long suggested that he has no intention in taking part in the first GOP primary debate in Milwaukee, and has still not signed the Republican National Committee’s (RNC) loyalty pledge stating he would support the Republican nominee if he loses the GOP presidential primary. The signing of the pledge is a requirement for all candidates before the first GOP primary debate. The RNC has been contacted for comment via email.
“Why would I sign it?” Trump recently told Newsmax. “I can name three or four people that I wouldn’t support for president. So right there, there’s a problem.”
Trump also teased that he would soon make an announcement on whether he would take part in the upcoming debate during the August 9 interview.
“In the past, you said, ‘It’d be stupid to go to that debate, because I’m winning,'” Newsmax host Eric Bolling said to Trump. “You’re not going to that debate, are you?”
“I’ll let it be known next week,” Trump replied. When asked for clarification, the former president said that he has “already decided, and I’ll be announcing something next week.”
Trump and several of his allies were charged in Georgia on Monday over allegations including racketeering and forgery in their attempts to overturn the 2020 election results in the fourth criminal indictment against the former president this year. Trump denies wrongdoing in all the cases and alleges the charges are politically motivated.
According to FiveThirtyEight’s national average poll tracker, Trump is leading the GOP presidential primary on 53.8 percent, despite his legal issues, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis a distant second on 15 percent and businessman and investor Vivek Ramaswamy third on 7.4 percent.