Trump Suggests He'll Skip GOP Primary Debates

Republican presidential hopefuls arrive on stage for the Republican presidential debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California on Sept. 16, 2015. Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images

Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday said no one asked him or his campaign about organizing and participating in debates with 2024 GOP primary rivals, saying he likely won’t attend the two thus far scheduled by the Republican National Committee (RNC).

The RNC announced in February that it planned a set of 10 to 12 GOP presidential primary debates between August 2023 and the July 2024 Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

In keeping with a Republican tradition, the party’s national committee scheduled the first of the debates in Milwaukee and announced last month that it would be hosted by Fox News, although a formal date has not been set.

On April 21, RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel announced the second debate would take place at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif. No date has been set.

In a Truth Social post, Trump said the RNC never discussed debate arrangements and protocols with him or his campaign, questioning why as the presumptive frontrunner he needs to endure “being libeled and abused” by “MAGA-hating” moderators in needless exchanges with lesser candidates.

Then-Republican presidential hopefuls Donald Trump and Jeb Bush speak during the Presidential debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California on Sept. 16, 2015. FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images

“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,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“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?” he wrote.

Trump specifically cited the second debate for enmity, noting that the chair at the Reagan Library “is, amazingly, Fred Ryan, Publisher of The Washington Post.”

Would he attend that debate? “NO!” Trump said.

Trump’s attacks on his more policy-polished rivals during debates in 2016 was what set him apart in a large GOP presidential primary field.

During his failed 2020 reelection campaign, the RNC did not schedule any primary debates with the GOP solidified behind the incumbent Trump early in the cycle.

RNC: Debating Debates With All Campaigns All Along

An RNC source familiar with the process of scheduling the GOP’s 2024 debates told The Epoch Times that the RNC’s debate committee “has been communicating with all candidates and campaigns,” including Trump and his team, about prospective debate schedules, protocols, and formats.

In fact, they said, the RNC has not released its criteria for the debates because it is negotiating with campaign committees that have yet to respond.

Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel at the Republican convention in Washington, on Aug. 24, 2020. Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

The RNC source said Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign has expressed frustration with the committee over its, and fellow candidates’ campaigns, delays in setting the debate schedule and outlining their protocols, formats, and criteria.

In addition to Trump and Ramaswamy, an entrepreneur and author, other declared 2024 Republican presidential candidates include former South Carolina Gov. and United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley; former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson; Perry Johnson, a businessman and failed candidate for Michigan governor, and Larry Elder, a radio and television personality and EpochTV host.

Among candidates expected to declare their intent is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis—May announcement expected—and, perhaps, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin.