Former President Donald Trump is betting that he can be the debate star from afar.
Trump will not be on the stage in Milwaukee when the Republican National Committee convenes most of the 2024 GOP presidential field for the first primary debate.The risk for Trump is that this will create the opening another candidate needs to get out of the former president and current frontrunner’s shadow.
There is also the chance that the narrative Trump is “chickening out” or disrespecting Republican voters who want him to debate for the good of the party will gain traction. And if the debate does go well for one or more candidates and it appears the decision to skip it was a mistake, Trump can always change his mind next time. NBC News’ Katherine Doyle reported that Trump’s decision applies only to the first two debates, and even that is subject to change.
In Trump’s mind, he is going for the kill shot here. He wants to keep his opponents from ever getting off the ground. He is nearly 41 points ahead of DeSantis, the only other candidate with double-digit support, in the national RealClearPolitics polling average. He is 48 points ahead of the third-place candidate.
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