Donald Trump says he will not debate Ron DeSantis until the Florida governor gets closer to him in the polls.
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I asked Fmr. U.S. President Donald J. Trump what his interactions would be with Governor of Florida Ron DeSantis on the debate stage during the LIV Golf Washington DC 2023 Pro-Am round at Trump National Golf Club Washington DC in Sterling, VA on May 25, 2023. pic.twitter.com/Bul9cfSYsA
— Kyle Mazza (@KyleMazzaWUNF) May 25, 2023
Trump said, “When I watched him with Charlie Crist, he got very badly beaten by Charlie Crist. Adam Putnam beat him. I don’t know. They say he’s not a good debater. We’ll find out. Maybe we’ll find out. Because unless he gets close, why would anybody debate?”
Ron DeSantis is a terrible debater. He doesn’t perform well on the debate stage and is especially likely to flop under the pressure of the presidential debate stage.
Trump has been rumbling for months about not debating. The former president’s comments are an interesting gamble. If Trump doesn’t show up to the first Republican primary debate in August, will Fox News still stage it?
Donald Trump is the frontrunner, and without the draw of Trump versus DeSantis is the debate worth having from a public interest and ratings point of view?
Trump still controls the Republican Party and is trying to control the debate and primary process.
DeSantis backers will suggest that Trump is afraid to debate him. Donald Trump is also a terrible debater, and his debate strategy involves yelling, bullying, steamrolling through the rules, and taking up all of the oxygen on the stage.
The 2024 Republican presidential primary is already in chaos, and if Trump doesn’t debate, the whole thing could fall apart.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
