Tuesday’s announcement by former President Donald Trump that he will not participate in any Republican primary debates caught many Republican voters by surprise.
He took to his Truth Social account to lodge a complaint at the party’s leadership that, apparently, no one went through him first since he’s the polling frontrunner: “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. 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? Also, the Second Debate is being held at the Reagan Library, the Chairman of which is, amazingly, Fred Ryan, Publisher of The Washington Post. NO!”
“It is an objectively weird flex given the 2016 primary debates are where Trump went from media curiosity to Republican nominee, despite zero experience serving in government — a trait he turned from weakness to strength. There was one primary debate in which Trump opted not to participate in protest, which led some in the chattering class to speculate that was the beginning of the end. It was not,” Mediate noted in response to Trump’s statement.
“Trump’s insistence that Republican debates run through him shows where he thinks he stands compared to the RNC, which has thus far agreed to everything he has asked for — while revealing who the most powerful person in the GOP truly is,” the media analysis outlet noted further.
Trump says that no one got his "approval, or the approval of the Trump Campaign" before announcing the RNC Primary Debates, and says NO to the current plan. pic.twitter.com/K5GFrhElrr
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) April 25, 2023
A national survey conducted by Fox News at the end of March revealed that Trump’s lead over his GOP rivals, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, was growing. In the meantime, Joe Biden faces uncertainty from Democratic primary voters.
According to the survey published on Wednesday, Republican primary voters were given a list of fifteen declared and potential candidates for the nomination in 2024. The results indicate that since February, Trump’s lead has doubled, and he is now 30 points clear of Ron DeSantis (54%-24%). In comparison, the former President led DeSantis by only 15 points last month (43%-28%).
“No one else hits double digits. Mike Pence comes in third with 6%, Liz Cheney and Nikki Haley receive 3% each, and Greg Abbott comes in at 2%. All others receive 1% support or less, and just 3% are unsure,” the network reported.
The survey reveals that Trump gained support among virtually all major demographic groups, with the exception of white men with a college degree, where DeSantis leads by a 12-point margin.
60% of Trump’s 2020 general election supporters continue to back him in the Republican primary. In the meantime, 25% support DeSantis and 5% support Pence.
More on this story via Conservative Brief:
Regarding second choice preferences, Trump primary voters would select DeSantis, and DeSantis primary voters would reciprocate and choose Trump, Fox News noted regarding its survey results. CONTINUE READING…
