


Former President Donald Trump's decision to forgo the first Republican National Committee primary debate on Wednesday doesn't mean his presence won't be felt.
Trump will have several of his presidential campaign surrogates in Milwaukee to needle his 2024 rivals, who will all battle to stand out on the Trump-less debate stage, in the spin room.
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Donald Trump Jr. and his fiance Kimberly Guilfoyle will attend the debate as surrogates for his father. "We're excited to see all of our friends in Milwaukee who want to Make America Great Again!!!" the younger Trump said. The Daily Caller reported Monday that the couple will do media appearances for the former president in Milwaukee.
We're excited to see all of our friends in Milwaukee who want to Make America Great Again!!! #Trump2024 #MAGA https://t.co/kprtiiZsgd
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) August 21, 2023
Other MAGA campaign surrogates who are expected to attend the debate and stump for Trump include Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), and Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL).
All three members of Congress have been staunch Trump supporters, with Donalds needling Trump's top rival, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), over his endorsement of Florida's education standards for African American history. Greene suggested last week that she would consider becoming Trump's running mate should he become the GOP's next standard-bearer. The Trump campaign did not confirm Greene's comments.
Another staunch Trump loyalist, former Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, will also be in attendance at the debate. Lake has previously called for Trump's rivals to drop out of the race and coalesce around the former president to no avail. Semafor reported on Monday that three of Trump's top aides, Chris LaCivita, Jason Miller, and Steven Cheung, will also be in Milwaukee on Wednesday. Cheung slammed DeSantis last week over his disloyalty in choosing to run for president against Trump. "This is what happens to disloyal people. F***ed around and found out," he said in response to DeSantis's rapid response team asking why Trump repeatedly attacked the governor.
This is what happens to disloyal people.
— Steven Cheung (@TheStevenCheung) August 17, 2023
Fucked around and found out. https://t.co/tgfs7HjCz1
Trump confirmed on Sunday that he would not attend the debate on his social media platform Truth Social after months of hinting about making a decision to participate or not. He has taken issue with the RNC's loyalty pledge it is requiring all candidates to sign to make it on the debate stage. "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 posted. "I WILL THEREFORE NOT BE DOING THE DEBATES!"
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The former president is the undisputed front-runner in the presidential GOP primary, leading all rivals by double digits in state and national polls. Instead, his rivals will likely seek a breakout moment during the debate to help propel momentum in their quest to overtake Trump.
Rather than attending the debate, Trump is expected to post a sit-down interview with ousted Fox News host Tucker Carlson during the event, a snub to both the RNC and the network that Trump has excoriated in recent weeks.