{"id":573307,"date":"2023-05-06T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-05-06T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/why-trumps-strategy-of-skipping-a-gop-debate-is-so-risky\/"},"modified":"2023-05-06T13:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-05-06T10:00:00","slug":"why-trumps-strategy-of-skipping-a-gop-debate-is-so-risky","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-trumps-strategy-of-skipping-a-gop-debate-is-so-risky\/","title":{"rendered":"#Why Trump\u2019s strategy of skipping a GOP debate is so risky"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p>Former President Donald Trump is publicly and privately suggesting he will skip the first Republican presidential primary debates scheduled for this summer, an idea that is divisive among current and former advisers.<\/p>\n<p>Trump has openly mused he should not have to stand on a stage with other candidates he is leading by 20 percentage points or more in several national polls while simultaneously taking heat from moderators.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr1_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>\u201cWhen you\u2019re leading by seemingly insurmountable numbers, and you have hostile Networks with angry, TRUMP &amp; MAGA hating anchors asking the \u2018questions,\u2019 why subject yourself to being libeled and abused?\u201d Trump wrote on Truth <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Social<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>But the strategy is not without risks. The first debate will take place in August and could provide a springboard for an alternative candidate who seizes the spotlight and marks a compelling case for the party to move on from Trump.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe thinks he has this insurmountable lead, and it\u2019s to everyone else\u2019s benefit, but not his, to show up at these debates,\u201d said David Urban, who advised Trump\u2019s 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think the folks around him \u2026 would try to disabuse him of that notion, because if he\u2019s not there on that stage, the other people on that stage will do nothing but whack on the person that\u2019s not there,\u201d Urban added. \u201cAnd they\u2019ll get to attack him and say things, and he won\u2019t be able to respond.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Trump last week publicly floated the idea of skipping at least one of the first two scheduled GOP primary debates. The first GOP primary debate is set for August in Milwaukee. The date of the second has not yet been announced, but it will be hosted at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California.<\/p>\n<p>The former president sees several reasons not to engage. Perhaps the biggest is his substantial lead in the polls.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr2_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>A Fox <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> poll released last month showed Trump leading his next closest potential competitor, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), by 32 percentage points. A Reuters poll released last month showed Trump ahead by 26 percentage points, and an NBC News poll had Trump leading by 15 percentage points.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t think he\u2019s showing up,\u201d said one former Trump campaign adviser. \u201cIt only helps these people. There\u2019s no reason for him to go. He\u2019s not going to go up, he can only go down.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"6286\" height=\"4191\" src=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/644b08dbe26d50.77828867.jpeg?w=900\" alt=\"FILE - Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event at the South Carolina Statehouse, Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia, S.C. Trump is again threatening to skip a presidential debate. The former president has been publicly complaining about the Republican National Committee debates scheduled to start in August, suggesting in interviews and social media posts his poll numbers are so high he has no reason to compete with the rest of the field. (AP Photo\/Alex Brandon, File)\" class=\"wp-image-3976628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/644b08dbe26d50.77828867.jpeg 6286w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/644b08dbe26d50.77828867.jpeg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/644b08dbe26d50.77828867.jpeg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/644b08dbe26d50.77828867.jpeg?resize=1080,720 1080w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/644b08dbe26d50.77828867.jpeg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/644b08dbe26d50.77828867.jpeg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/644b08dbe26d50.77828867.jpeg?resize=645,430 645w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/644b08dbe26d50.77828867.jpeg?resize=50,33 50w, https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/04\/644b08dbe26d50.77828867.jpeg?resize=876,584 876w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 899px) 100vw, 876px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event at the South Carolina Statehouse on Jan. 28, 2023, in Columbia. AP Photo\/Alex Brandon, File<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The adviser pointed to Trump\u2019s past debate performances as further evidence Trump has little to gain from attending the primary debates.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr3_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>The former president had rocky performances in his debates with Hillary Clinton during the 2016 <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a> election.<\/p>\n<p>In his first debate with Democrat Joe Biden in 2020, he frequently interrupted his rival and made the wrong kind of headlines by telling the Proud Boys to \u201cstand back and stand by.\u201d He later tested positive for COVID-19.<\/p>\n<p>There are also personal grievances contributing to Trump\u2019s stance. The first debate will be hosted by Fox News, a network Trump has had a hot-and-cold relationship with since leaving office.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr4_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>Trump has <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>eared with the network\u2019s opinion hosts like Sean Hannity and Mark Levin, but his campaign still holds a grudge against Fox for calling Arizona for President Biden on Election Night in 2020, and Trump skipped the network\u2019s debate in 2016 amid a feud with then-anchor Megyn Kelly.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In suggesting he may skip the second debate, the former president has also pointed to the Reagan Library\u2019s relationship with Fred Ryan, who is the publisher of The Washington Post and who leads the library\u2019s board of directors.<\/p>\n<p>GOP strategists and even some Trump associates, however, are mindful that skipping one or both debates could ultimately hurt the former president and give his opponents an opening.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr5_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t think Trump has much to gain from a debate in August, assuming he\u2019s still the prohibitive front-runner,\u201d said Alex Conant, who worked on Sen. Marco Rubio\u2019s (R-Fla.) 2016 presidential campaign. \u201cBut skipping the debate will give a lot of oxygen to his challengers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A debate stage without Trump would present a major opportunity for other candidates to distinguish themselves as alternatives to the former president. Perhaps no individual would have more riding on that opportunity than DeSantis, who is consistently polling second behind Trump but has seen the former president\u2019s lead expand in recent weeks.<\/p>\n<p>DeSantis and other potential candidates, such as former Vice President Mike Pence, could use a debate without Trump to draw a contrast with the former president without having to parry away any barbs from Trump in real time.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr6_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>Trump\u2019s legal baggage and Republican defeats in 2018, 2020 and 2022 with Trump leading the party would also be fair <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a>, and the former president would not be there to defend himself.<\/p>\n<p>Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), who is expected to announce this month whether he will join the GOP primary field, this week previewed how Trump\u2019s opponents might look to capitalize on his absence at a debate.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m sorry to see that Donald Trump feels like if he gets on the stage, he\u2019s at risk of losing his lead,\u201d Christie told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt. \u201cIf, in fact, his ideas are so great, if his leadership is so outstanding, then his lead will only increase if he gets on the stage, not decrease. But obviously, he\u2019s afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr7_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>One former Trump adviser said they believed Trump would ultimately see the merits of taking part in the debates. But should he opt out, it would align with how he has run the primary campaign so far, largely brushing aside any would-be challengers.<\/p>\n<p>Trump joined the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in person earlier this year, but he only appeared virtually at an Iowa event hosted by the Faith and Freedom Coalition that drew several other 2024 contenders.<\/p>\n<p>In 2016, Trump skipped a primary debate hosted by Fox News over his feud with Kelly following an earlier debate when she pressed Trump on his derogatory comments about women. In March 2016, Trump threatened to skip a CNN town hall interview, citing his perception that the network had treated him unfairly.<\/p>\n<p>Trump, who went on to become the Republican nominee in 2016, is expecting that once again he won\u2019t pay the price with voters for his approach.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHis premise that people who are front-runners generally avoid debates is correct. Trump knows that doing so deprives his opponents an opportunity to take him on directly and burst his balloon,\u201d said Doug Heye, a former spokesperson for the Republican National Committee. \u201cThat he was not penalized for skipping a debate in 2015 no doubt solidifies in his mind that he will not pay a price.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more News articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/campaign\/3990704-why-trumps-strategy-of-skipping-a-gop-debate-is-so-risky\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Former President Donald Trump is publicly and privately suggesting he will skip the first Republican presidential primary debates scheduled for this summer, an idea that is divisive among current and former advisers. Trump has openly mused he should not have to stand on a stage with other candidates he is leading by 20 percentage points&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":573308,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/05\/trumpdonald_050323_trump-debates.jpg?w=1280","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[78209,134344,134343,73243,142938,4941,124783,28962,29102,134345],"class_list":["post-573307","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-2024-presidential-election","tag-administration","tag-campaign","tag-chris-christie","tag-david-urban","tag-donald-trump","tag-international","tag-mike-pence","tag-ron-desantis","tag-state-watch"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/573307","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=573307"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/573307\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/573308"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=573307"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=573307"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=573307"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}