Trump Allies Drop Hints He Might Skip Second GOP Debate: 'He Has Shown Everything That He Stands For...Through Action'

The upcoming second GOP presidential primary debate is looming, and all eyes are on former President Donald Trump. His current position at the top of the polls is triggering speculation about his participation in the event.

What Happened: The Hill reports that Trump’s allies suggest that he may not attend the debate, which is set for September 27 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California. This has sparked conjecture about how Trump might counter the event, where his challengers, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and former Vice President Mike Pence, are expected to be present.

GOP party members predict that Trump might counterprogram the event as he did for the first debate when he chose an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson over attending the debate.

Alex Conant, a Republican strategist who worked on Sen. Marco Rubio’s (R-Fla.) 2016 presidential campaign, also anticipates Trump to counterprogram the event, potentially through a rally or another interview.

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Signs from Trump’s team suggest that he will likely stick with this strategy considering his popularity among the primary electorate. A poll by The Wall Street Journal earlier this month showed Trump extending his lead against DeSantis, with the former president at 59% among GOP primary voters and DeSantis at 13%.

"He does not need to debate his merits because he has shown everything that he stands for, not just through words on a pulpit grinning at the cameras, he's done it through action," said Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), a prominent Trump ally.

However, some Republicans argue that avoiding the debates is not a sustainable approach, even if it is the safest choice for Trump at this point.

Why It Matters: Trump’s absence from the first GOP debate did not go unnoticed. Despite not being physically present, his influence was felt throughout the event.

However, his decision to opt out of the first debate led to a decline in support among Republican primary voters, according to a poll by Emerson College. This has raised questions about the impact of his potential absence from the second debate on his standing in the polls.

Photo Courtesy: Evan El-Amin On Shutterstock.com

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