DeSantis camp sees Trump skipping first debate as potential sign of weakness in eyes of voters
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (FLV) – Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign is preparing to capitalize on former President Donald Trump potentially skipping the first Republican primary debates in Milwaukee on Aug. 23.
“Afraid to debate?” the campaign pondered in an email.
ABC News reported that DeSantis is holding weekly debate preparations and meeting with a coach on how he’ll conduct himself.
Former President Donald Trump, perceived as the frontrunner in the GOP primary, most recently strongly hinted he will skip the debate.
“Let them debate,” he said late-July. “I can see who I MIGHT consider for Vice President.”
ABC reported that DeSantis’ campaign has conducted polling in states like Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada – the earliest primary voting states that help candidates achieve electoral momentum – on whether they believe Trump should appear at the debates.
Per the polls, 60% or more of likely GOP primary voters in all of those states believed Trump should debate.
“Regardless of whether or not Donald Trump is afraid to debate, Ron DeSantis is looking forward to being on stage in Milwaukee talking about his plans to beat Joe Biden, reverse the decline in our nation, and revive America’s future,” DeSantis’ campaign said in an email.
The debate will be hosted by Fox News.
Trump questioned earlier this year as to whether he should debate.
“I see that everybody is talking about the Republican Debates, but nobody got my approval, or the approval of the Trump Campaign, before announcing them,” he said in April. “When you’re leading by seemingly insurmountable numbers, and you have hostile Networks with angry, TRUMP & MAGA hating anchors asking the ‘questions,’ why subject yourself to being libeled and abused?”
Senior campaign advisor Jason Miller on an interview with The Hill also recently said Trump has no good reason to debate.
“He’s up by 30, 40, and even new polling shows he’s up by almost 50 percent in certain places,” Miller said.
“It really wouldn’t make much sense for him to go and debate right now with a bunch of folks who are down at three, four and five percent. Even [Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis], who’s the second-place candidate in the race currently, is at least 20, 30 or 40 points behind.”
DeSantis responded to the idea Trump may skip the debate, arguing that it’s wrong for the former president to assume he is “entitled” to the nomination.
“You have got to earn the nomination and doing things like The Family Leader event in Iowa, doing things like these debates — they’re important parts of the process,” DeSantis said. “Every candidate needs to be put to the test, and I think he needs to step up and do it.”
