What’s Happening:
It’s no secret that Donald Trump is the current GOP frontrunner for the 2024 presidential nomination. The man enjoys strong support from millions of Americans. And the recent leftist indictment against him got even more Republicans on his side.
But this is still a democratic process and there are several other candidates who deserve a chance to reach voters. The RNC plans to host as many as 12 debates before primary voting begins next year. The first two have been tentatively scheduled–but without the “approval” of Donald Trump. So now, he is making a big threat.
From Daily Wire:
Former President Trump threatened Tuesday to skip the Republican primary debates, complaining on his social media platform that he had not been consulted about them and predicting that moderators would be hostile to him.
Trump weighs in on the GOP debates and complains that “nobody got my approval, or the approval of the Trump Campaign, before announcing them.”
Also seems to raise some doubts about whether he’ll participate: pic.twitter.com/SuTBLnWvEh
— Shelby Talcott (@ShelbyTalcott) April 25, 2023
Apparently, Trump is outraged that the Republican Party planned the first two debates without his “approval.” We can’t say whether or not the RNC contacted Trump. Chances are they didn’t, in order to appear fair and unbiased.
But when you are a former president with a double-digit lead in the polls, you tend to want preferential treatment. Trump even suggested that the moderators–who have not yet been picked–will come from left-wing networks.
He then complained that the current chairman of the Reagan Library is the publisher of the Washington Post, suggesting some kind of bias.
So, is the RNC somehow conspiring against Trump? Ever since 2020, the former president has been obsessed with the narrative that everyone is against him. He refuses to back down from his claims that the election was stolen. And he even seems dead set on turning against his own party.
The reality is, Trump does not want to attend these debates. He must assume his strong lead will keep him safe. Why risk jeopardizing his position by letting other candidates challenge him–especially Ron DeSantis, who is blaming Trump for COVID lockdowns and the botched vaccines?
Trump is stirring up all this controversy, so his supporters will think this is why he skips out on the debates. Not to avoid getting skewered by his rivals. If Trump hopes to win the White House, he needs the full support of the GOP. But turning on his own party, over something seemingly benign, is not going to help.
Key Takeaways:
- Donald Trump attacked the RNC over the first two Republican primary debates.
- Trump claimed the party did not get his approval, assuming he was in charge.
- The former president threatened not to attend the debate, depriving other candidates of the chance to question him.
Source: Daily Wire
