Former President Donald Trump has not said whether or not he will attend the first Republican presidential debate next week, but he is expressing doubts about attending.
Trump acknowledged that his debate attendance is uncertain but questioned why he should attend the event by pointing to poll numbers and his record as president from 2017 to 2021 in a Thursday night post on Truth Social.
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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. As everyone is aware, my Poll numbers, over a 'wonderful' field of Republican candidates, are extraordinary," Trump said. "In fact, I am leading the runner up, whoever that may now be, by more than 50 Points. 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!"
Other Republican presidential candidates, including Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, have confirmed their attendance at the debate scheduled for Wednesday at 9 p.m. Eastern time in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Trump holds a commanding lead over the GOP field in the polls, according to the RealClearPolitics polling average. He leads with 54.7% compared to DeSantis at 14.8%, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy at 6.9%, former Vice President Mike Pence at 5.4%, Haley at 3.6%, Scott at 2.7%, and Christie at 2.7%.
The morning after Trump's post, Christie and Never Back Down, a super PAC supporting DeSantis, took aim at the former president for not committing to debate.
Christie posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying that to run for president, you have to "show up."
If you want to be President you have to show up.
— Chris Christie (@GovChristie) August 18, 2023
Show up at debates, show up at town halls, and show up with the truth.
You can’t hide and you can’t pretend to be someone you aren’t.
Great convo and coffee in South Miami. pic.twitter.com/ClJWaljbrN
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"If you want to be President you have to show up. Show up at debates, show up at town halls, and show up with the truth. You can’t hide and you can’t pretend to be someone you aren’t," Christie said.
Never Back Down reposted a video from Wednesday that claimed, "We can't afford a nominee who's too weak to debate," while showing videos of Trump not committing to debating.