Former President Donald Trump Open to Debating President Biden
Former President Donald Trump has expressed his willingness to debate President Biden and has not ruled out a primary debate with a hypothetical last Republican challenging him for the GOP nomination. This comes despite his previous refusal to participate in any GOP debate.
In an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, Trump was asked if he would debate any Republican challenger if only one contender remained after the New Hampshire primary.
"Yeah, I would, if it's very close. I would debate that Republican," Trump responded. However, he also hinted that he might not debate if the race is not close.
Hewitt further inquired if Trump would debate Mr. Biden if they both became their party's nominees.
"Oh, will I look forward to that — how about 10 debates? How about 10," Trump enthusiastically exclaimed.
However, it is worth noting that in 2022, the Republican National Committee (RNC) unanimously voted to ban GOP presidential nominees from participating in debates organized by the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD). The CPD is a nonpartisan body responsible for setting up general election debates since 1988.
The Republican National Committee (RNC) expressed dissatisfaction with the commission's refusal to consider certain reforms, such as holding debates before the voting process begins and selecting moderators who have no prior affiliation with any candidates on the debate stage, according to RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel.
Previously, the Republican Party had mandated that primary candidates sign an agreement to participate only in officially sanctioned primary and general election debates. Any candidate who did not comply with this requirement would be ineligible to take part in RNC-approved debates. All Republican candidates, except Trump, signed this document. However, the RNC has recently released candidates from this obligation to abstain from participating in non-RNC-sanctioned debates. It should be noted that the RNC has not yet updated its guidelines regarding general election debates.
In addition, Trump confidently dismissed concerns about former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley's recent rise in polls, referring to them as "fake."
Trump's Decision to Skip Debates Draws Criticism from Republican Opponents
Republican opponents of Donald Trump have expressed their disapproval of his decision to not participate in debates and face questions on stage. Trump, who has consistently been leading in the polls, defended his choice by stating, "You see the polls have come out, I'm leading by 50 and 60 points... Do I sit there for an hour or two hours, whatever it's going to be and get harassed by people that shouldn't even be running for president?"
In a recent interview, Trump also assured that he would leave peacefully after a potential second term in the White House. Despite allegations of attempting to alter the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, he claimed to have left peacefully after his first term.
The majority of lawsuits filed by Trump and his allies challenging election results or integrity were dismissed, dropped, or failed in court. Only one ruling initially favored Trump, but it was later overturned by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
