The Republican Party, led by incompetent Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel, has scheduled the first presidential debate for August 23 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. To qualify, presidential candidates must attract at least 40,000 individual donors, two hundred unique donors in at least twenty states, and at least 1 percent in three or more national polls or early state polls conducted in the seven weeks before the scheduled debate.
At this point, it seems likely that there will be at least five candidates on the debate stage: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott.
Of course, President Donald Trump, the frontrunner, would also qualify. Fortunately, he is very reluctant to participate in this. On Truth Social he wrote: “Maybe I should enter the debates… But then again, when you’re 40 to 50 points ahead of your rivals, maybe I shouldn’t???
One factor Trump should consider is that his nemesis, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, may also be eligible for the debate. Christie is being helped by establishment Republicans and Democrats who want to see the former president crushed on stage by a candidate who hates him. In fact, Christie’s main focus in recent media interviews has been his acute criticism of President Trump.
The Republican National Committee (RNC) will also require all candidates participating in the debates to sign a pledge to support the eventual nominee. This didn’t work in 2016 because several Republican Party presidential candidates, such as former Ohio Governor John Kasich and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, refused to follow through on their commitment to support candidate Donald Trump. This enraged Trump, who said the candidates “broke their word” and their actions were “disgraceful.”
Regardless of the promise, the same scenario is likely to play out this year. If Trump becomes the GOP nominee in 2024, many current candidates will likely not support him, whether they sign the pledge or not. With pathetic party leadership and a stage full of low-vote candidates ready to attack, the best decision for President Trump is to skip the debate.
Trump gains nothing by allowing lesser-known candidates to equal billing and join him on the debate stage. While this would boost low-polling candidates, it could potentially hurt President Trump.
At this point, Trump doesn’t have to prove anything. This is his third nationwide presidential campaign. Everyone in America knows his position on these issues because he has consistently stated them for eight years.
The debate would only have pitfalls for President Trump. Not only would he be fiercely attacked by desperate competitors, but Fox News’ debate moderators are known for their anti-Trump views.
Instead, President Trump should provide Americans with counterprogramming. He could organize an event, like a massive rally, that would be more engaging. He could also host a national town hall event with Tucker Carlson, subjecting himself to questions from real Americans, not biased journalists. Regardless of Trump’s decision, the event would undoubtedly attract significantly higher viewership than a presidential debate without the main attraction.
Who wants to watch a debate between Mike Pence and Ron DeSantis arguing about tax policy or legislative agenda? Most Americans would only be motivated to tune in to watch Trump in action, see how he deals with his opponents and learn what novel nicknames he has created for them.
Without Trump, there would be little interest in lower-tier candidates fighting for traction in the polls. Currently, as in 2016 and 2020, Donald Trump dominates the Republican nomination contest.
This campaign, Trump’s main opponent, Governor DeSantis, is struggling. In an interview on Fox News on Sunday, host Maria Bartiromo asked him, “I wonder what’s going on with your campaign?” Bartiromo was referring to a recent Fox News poll that showed Trump is imperious 56-22% lead over DeSantis.
She also cited an unflattering media profile, with his own representative admitting that DeSantis’ campaign was far behind. She asked the question that all politicians wonder: “What happened?
DeSantis blames the media, claiming that left-wing journalists oppose him because “they know that I will actually meet all these requirements.”
Additionally, DeSantis noted that the various accusations against Trump have made him stronger. He said: “I think one of the reasons Donald Trump is leading is because of the corruption and injustice of our justice system.”
DeSantis is right, the justice system is biased against Trump, but that won’t change in the near future. Americans can expect more criminal charges against Trump in the coming weeks; however, Republican Party voters will support him even more.
Trump is also a once-in-a-generation political talent, someone who inspires the GOP base in the same way that President Ronald Reagan did during his storied political career.
As evidence, President Trump drew a huge crowd to say the least on July 1st 50,000 people at a rally in Pickens, South Carolina. It attracted a crowd more than ten times its size population cities.
On Saturday evening, Trump attended UFC 290 at the T-Mobile hall in Las Vegas. He met with celebrities and fighters, and the adoring crowd greeted him like a rock star.
No one else running for president in 2024, especially the incumbent president, could garner so much public support. The more Trump is attacked, the stronger he becomes.
Despite the indictments and unfair treatment by the media and the Deep State, Trump leads President Joe Biden in most polls. For example, in the latest national poll from Echelon Insights, Trump leads Biden nationwide by approx 43-42% margin, but the advantage is greater, 48-40%in the battlefield states.
Millions of Americans, especially Republicans, remember his successful presidency and want him to return to the White House. As former Trump campaign operative Bryan Lanza noted, “Voters are not looking for the Trump light. They are looking for Trump.”
Jeff Crouere is a New Orleans native whose award-winning show “Ringside Politics” airs Saturdays from noon to 1 p.m. ET nationwide on Real America’s Voice TV Network & AmericasVoice.News and weekdays from 7-11 CT on WGSO 990-AM & Wgso.com. He is a political columnist, author of America’s Last Chance, and a regular commentator on Jeff Crouere’s YouTube channel and online Crouere.net. For more information, email him at jcrouere@gmail.com
