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Defenders support Trump’s suggestion he’ll skip GOP debates: ‘Why subject yourself to being abused?’

April 26, 2023 | | Print Article

Former President Donald J. Trump raised eyebrows on Tuesday when he suggested that he could skip the upcoming Republican primary debates, a longtime tradition for aspiring candidates to make their case to the American people in nationally televised events, but the current 2024 frontrunner expressed skepticism that they would be fair and not stacked against him as was the case the first time that he ran for the White House.

The 2016 GOP presidential primaries were a grueling march to the nomination marked not only by the massive field of candidates who all gave the billionaire real estate mogul their best shots in often brutal exchanges on debate stages, but Trump also had to contend with hostile moderators who repeatedly sprung trap questions on him, seeking to derail his campaign but ultimately failed when the tenacious political newcomer took their best shots and delivered more than a few of his own in return.

This time around, a seasoned politician who fully understands the rigged game and the determination of the media to destroy him, Trump appears that he could choose to avoid the ambushes altogether or, as he put it, “Why subject yourself to being libeled and abused?”

“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!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

(Image: Screengrab/Truth Social)

While there will be plenty of criticism of Trump if he declines to participate in this year’s edition of the demolition derby, there will almost certainly be the sound of crickets from the media over the DNC’s not allowing any debates between President Joe Biden and his primary opponents, effectively rigging the game by keeping the geriatric gaffe machine out of an environment where he would be asked legitimate questions about his dismal record and depriving Democrat voters an honest exchange of ideas between the incumbent and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. who announced his candidacy last week.

Twitter reacted to Trump’s suggestion that he may sit out this round with responses being a mixed bag.

https://twitter.com/bonchieredstate/status/1650909746868764681?s=20

Veteran political operative Dick Morris sees wisdom in Trump avoiding the traps that would undoubtedly be sprung by moderators.

“He’s saying the hell with that. I’m not going to walk into another Megyn Kelly talking about every woman I’ve ever said anything bad about including Rosie O’Donnell,” he said. “I’m not going to walk into another…Chris Wallace going after me and making this a debate between Wallace and Trump, not Biden and Trump, I’m not gonna do that.”

Morris was, of course, referring to the August 2015 debate where then-Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly – who was the moderator – went straight for the throat only to have the rug yanked out from under her with an epic response from Trump that would set the tone for the rest of his campaign.

(Video: YouTube/Washington Free Beacon)

Trump also reacted to Biden’s long-awaited announcement that he’s running for reelection in which the octogenarian who is despised by a large chunk of the electorate mailed it in, choosing to release a video announcing his 2024 bid instead of doing it live, probably a wise decision from his handlers considering that on any given day, his appearances resemble a “Walking Dead” spinoff.

In a video statement, the ex-POTUS unloaded on Biden in advance of a possible rematch of the 2020 election – if he isn’t thrown in jail by Attorney General Merrick Garland’s surrogates – blasting lunchbucket, “You could take the five worst presidents in American history, and put them together, and they would not have done the damage Joe Biden has done to our Nation in just a few short years,” he said. “Not even close.”

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Chris Donaldson
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