Donald Trump has confirmed that he will skip this week’s first Republican presidential debate, arguing that Americans know him well so there’s no need for a public showdown with his rivals for the White House.
In a message on his platform Truth Social, Trump touted what he called a hugely successful record as president and what he described as his popularity among the American people.
“I WILL THEREFORE NOT BE DOING THE DEBATES!” he said.
The first debate in the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination is scheduled for tomorrow in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
In his post, Trump noted the latest in a wave of polls showing him far, far out ahead of the Republican field, this one by CBS News published on Sunday.
It said 62% of those polled for the survey would vote for him even though he has been indicted four times this year, including on charges he tried to subvert US democracy by scheming to overturn the 2020 election and stay in power despite his loss to Joe Biden.
Trump’s closest contender in the CBS poll was Florida Governor Ron DeSantis at 16%. The rest of those in the field are polling in the single digits.
Trump wrote that DeSantis is “crashing like an ailing bird”.
“The public knows who I am & what a successful Presidency I had,” Trump said, citing issues including energy, border security and the military, and the economy.
Meanwhile, a Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom survey of likely Iowa Republican caucusgoers shows Trump has the backing of 42%, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis at 19% and US Senator Tim Scott in third place with 9%.
A majority – or 52% – said they had a first choice for president but could still be persuaded to support a different candidate, while 40% said their minds were made up.
Among Trump supporters, however, 66% said their vote was set, while 34% said they could be persuaded to change their minds.
Trump’s four indictments showed little signs of deterring his supporters.
The poll found 65% of likely Republican caucusgoers didn’t think Trump had committed serious crimes, compared with the 26% who believed he had.
The poll was conducted August 13-17, coinciding with news on August 14 that a Georgia grand jury had issued an indictment accusing him of efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Biden.
The New York Times reported on Friday that Trump had told aides he was planning to upstage his rivals by skipping the event, organised by Fox News, and instead sit for an online interview with one of Fox’s former hosts, Tucker Carlson.
Donald Trump
