(RightWing.org) – Former president Donald Trump is the leading candidate for next year’s Republican presidential nomination, and his campaign hasn’t even really started yet. Now he says he’s considering taking part in the party’s first primary debate. His decision is likely to come next week.
Talking to Newsmax on August 9, Trump dismissed suggestions he’s reluctant to debate his rivals and pointed out that he’d done a CNN town hall, which was “about as hostile as you can do.” He told host Eric Bolling that he’ll make a decision “next week.”
Trump has been facing claims that he’s unwilling to take part in a debate on a “hostile” network — the first debate is scheduled for August 23 at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee and will be broadcast on Fox News, which many Trump loyalists believe has turned against the former president.
Trump has met the polling and donor thresholds to take part in the debate, but so far, he hasn’t signed the “Beat Biden Pledge” to support the Republican Party’s final nominee. The Republican National Committee is insisting candidates sign that pledge to ensure unsuccessful runners don’t try to sabotage or undermine the eventual winner’s campaign.
So far, five candidates — Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum and Senator Tim Scott — have all met the thresholds and signed the pledge. That makes them eligible to take part in the debate, but all of them are lagging far behind Trump in the polls. That’s leaving us in the strange position of facing a GOP primary debate where none of the participants have any chance of winning the primary.
Will Trump agree to sign the pledge and take part? That’s the big question facing Conservatives right now, and many will be hoping Trump decides to face his challengers on August 23.
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