Former President Donald Trump posted a message to Truth Social declaring he will not participate in the primary debates.
He said, “The public knows who I am & what a successful Presidency I had, with Energy Independence, Strong Borders & Military, Biggest EVER Tax & Regulation Cuts, No Inflation, Strongest Economy in History, & much more.”
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) August 20, 2023
He then concluded, “I WILL THEREFORE NOT BE DOING THE DEBATES!”
This decision followed an announcement that Trump is skipping the first primary debate in favor of an interview with Tucker Carlson, per the Post Millennial.
CNN reported, “The timing for the Carlson interview has yet to be determined,” but that “it is expected to air around the same time as the debate.”
Trump is also due to surrender to Fulton County law enforcement in Georgia regarding his latest indictment this week, via Politico.
He has maintained his innocence throughout all of his legal battles and decried the charges against him as “election interference,” in a Truth Social post, Saturday.
Despite the 91 counts levied against him, according to the New York Post, Trump remains ahead in Republican primary polls. Project Five Thirty Eight displays his lead in all of the recent predictions.
This has swayed his decision not to attend the debates, which he expressed during a Newsmax interview earlier this month.
While discussing this with Eric Bolling, he stated that he will not sign the newly instated GOP pledge to support whichever candidate gains the Republican nomination, according to the IJR.
He said, “Why would you do that when you’re leading by so much? Ronald Reagan didn’t do it. Nixon didn’t do it. Many people didn’t do it.”
“They want a smart president. They want somebody that’s gonna be smart. So we have to do the smart thing,” he added.