Donald Trump, the former president of the USA, continues to make headlines even after his term in office. In addition to being charged with illegally storing secret government documents, he now also has to stand trial for election fraud, among other things.
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However, all this does not prevent him from running for president again - so far, he even seems to be the candidate with the best chances within his party. Now, however, rumours are going around that say Trump wants to break with a very specific election campaign tradition.
Cancellation from Trump
On Wednesday 23 August, the Republicans are scheduled to hold their first intra-party televised debate - with former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and Florida Governor Ron DeSantisamong those in attendance.
As reported by Der Spiegel, ProSieben and themagazine t-online, however, the most prominent current participant will probably be absent: Donald Trump has cancelled. He will 'not participate in the debates', as he announced on hisTruth Social platform.
My gut feel is that Trump will surrender in Fulton, Georgia tomorrow, Tuesday, to hog the limelight and thus draw the attention away from the first GOP presidential debate that he is not attending for fear he'll be torn into pieces by his primary opponents.
— Jesse E.L. Bacon II (@jelbacon) August 21, 2023
Read more: Melania Trump is keeping a distance from husband Donald's 2024 campaign, here's why
Trump's reasoning
His reasoning: The public already knows him and is aware of his 'successful presidency'. Moreover, he still has the biggest lead over his competitors within the party.
It had already been rumored that Trump might stay away from the debate, so this announcement does not come as a surprise. However, it could also be possible that Trump is planning a counter-event, as Spiegel, among others, further reports.
It has even been speculated that Trump may hand himself in to Fulton County Jail, where he is to be booked, to give himself a water-tight excuse for missing the debates. You can read about this notoriously deadly jail, and the horrific death of one of its inmates, here.
This could be the real reason
It has also been suggested that instead of participating in the debates, Trump has scheduled a pre-recorded interview with fired Fox host Tucker Carlson. Trump has a long-standing issue with Fox News, claiming that they always show him in the worst light and demanding that they stop using a picture of him where he looks 'big and orange'. The former President could be prioritising this personal feud, by doing the podcast with someone Fox News has fallen out with, over public duty.
This article has been translated from Gentside DE.
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Sources used:
t-online: The public knows who I am': Trump breaks with popular campaign tradition
ProSieben: Breaking with time-honored tradition: Trump stays away from TV debates
Spiegel: Cancellation by ex-president: Trump skips his party's TV debate(s)
