With a sizable lead in polls of Republican voters, former President Donald Trump is ready to sit out the second and third Republican primary debates happening next week and in early November.
What Happened: Several Republican candidates will take the stage on Sept. 27 for a second Republican Primary Debate to be held in California. One candidate who will not be making an appearance is Trump, the current frontrunner of the Republican nominees.
Trump will put his focus instead on an appearance in Detroit in support of the UAW strikes that are happening against General Motors Co GM, Ford Motor Co F and Stellantis NV STLA. Trump is expected to give a speech during primetime, which could coincide with the debate of his rivals being covered on television.
The second debate will air on Fox Business, a unit of Fox Corporation FOXFOXA and stream on Rumble Inc RUM.
A third Republican primary debate is set for a Miami, Florida, location, according to reports. Despite the third debate being in the home state of Trump, the former president is reportedly set to skip that debate as well.
A senior adviser said Trump will continue to skip the debates and avoid public forums with his GOP rivals who have lower figures in the polls, according to Bloomberg.
The third debate does not have a date set, television partner or additional details at this time.
Related Link: Mike Pence Says Trump Skipping Second GOP Debate A Missed Opportunity
Why It’s Important: Sources have said Trump doesn’t see a benefit in taking part in the debate when he has a sizable lead in most national polls. Participating in the debates could see Trump attacked by his rivals, or potentially hurt his standing.
In the latest Morning Consult poll of Republican voters, Trump has a 46-point lead with 59% of the vote. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ranks second with 13%. Vivek Ramaswamy at 10%; Nikki Haley, at 6%; and Mike Pence, at 5% are the only other candidates who have more than 3% of the vote in the poll.
Trump also found himself tied with President Joe Biden in the latest Morning Consult poll of a hypothetical matchup in the 2024 election.
While he has chosen to skip debates, Trump often finds himself in the spotlight instead of his opponents.
On the night of the first Republican primary debate, an interview of the former president and Tucker Carlson was released on X, formerly known as Twitter, and generated millions of views at the same time the debate was airing.
News of a planned primetime speech related to the UAW strike could see Trump get the spotlight over the second primary debate once again.
Plans to skip the third debate could see a future announcement from Trump on how he will counter the programming with something of his own.
Requirements for the third debate have not been announced, but past debates included a requirement of having 3% support in national Republican polls. Without Trump being included, the third debate could have minimal candidates participating if they raise the requirement.
Read Next: Donald Trump Will Still Run For President If Convicted And Right Now That's Perfectly Legal
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