Trump Definitively Rules Out Debate Participation

New,York,,Ny,-,September,26,,2018:,President,Donald,Trump

Former President Donald Trump stated clearly this weekend that he would not take part in the Republican Party’s first official debate this Wednesday. The former president had indicated several times that he would likely not be a part of the event, but made his clearest statement on the matter yet.

Trump wrote on Truth Social that 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 cited his high ratings in a recent CBS poll, which placed him in a clear lead in the Republican field. According to the poll, the former president holds 62% of potential primary voters. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) came in second with 16%, with Trump stating that he was “crashing like an ailing bird.”

In third place, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy tallied 7%. Former Vice President Mike Pence was the only other candidate to show significant support, pulling in 5%.

The same poll found that more than 90% of Republican primary voters believed that candidates other than the former president should make “the case for themselves” while 9% said that candidates should speak in relation to their opinion of Trump.

Furthermore, the same poll found an overwhelming majority of 77% believe that the indictment is “politically motivated.” Another 8% believe that Trump “tried to overturn” the 2020 presidential election, while 15% agreed with both sentiments.

Furthermore, the poll also found that 99% of Republican primary voters believed that “things were better under Trump.”

Another 95% said that the former president “fights for people like me,” while a significant majority of 74% said that they have “always been a supporter” of Trump.

With the former president not taking part in the Milwaukee debate, the stage will include a number of Republican candidates. DeSantis, Ramaswamy and Pence will be joined by a number of other candidates, including former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R).