After skipping the first GOP primary debate that was broadcast on Fox News, President Donald Trump has now indicated that he may participate in future debates.
During an appearance on the “Todd Starnes Show,” Trump said it was a possibility.
“Do you anticipate at some point jumping into the debates?” Starnes asked Trump.
“I might,” Trump told him. “I mean, you know, it’s possible.”
Trump had previously insisted that he wouldn’t participate in any of the debates.
“The public knows who I am & what a successful Presidency I had, with Energy Independence, Strong Borders & Military, Biggest EVER Tax & Regulation Cuts, No Inflation, Strongest Economy in History, & much more. I WILL THEREFORE NOT BE DOING THE DEBATES!” Trump declared in a post on Truth Social earlier this month. “Why would I allow people at 1% and 2% and 0% to be hitting me with questions all night?”
“People know my Record, one of the BEST EVER, so why would I Debate? I’M YOUR MAN. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” he added in a separate post.
While Trump’s latest comment appears to suggest a willingness to debate that he previously denied, he added that given his lead in the polls, it would be “foolish” to debate right now.
“I liked debating. I guess I won because of the debates,” he said. “You know, they’ve been very good to me, so I might, but at this moment, I’m leading by so much that it seems to be foolish to do it.”
Trump also mentioned his interview with Tucker Carlson on Twitter/X, suggesting he might do something like that again. “I would say that would be a lot better than a debate, frankly,” Trump insisted.
Why would Trump open the door to participating in the primary debates now? Well, it may have to do with recent polling suggesting that his approval has started slowly dipping since his refusal to debate. A snap poll from the Washington Post with FiveThirtyEight and Ipsos also found that most Republican debate watchers believed that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis won the first one. Trump has focused nearly all of his fire on DeSantis. DeSantis also saw a fundraising boost from his performance.
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While it still appears unlikely that Trump will participate in the primary debates, he’s obviously leaving the option open to jump in if he feels that he needs to. If future debates show a similar trend of him seeing dips in the polls while his opponents see bumps, he might just cave.
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