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Exclusive Video — Donald Trump: ‘Sort of Foolish’ to Attend First GOP Debate with Polling Lead Since Fox News ‘Hostile Network’
Breitbart ^ | 2 Aug 2023 | MATTHEW BOYLE

Posted on 08/02/2023 9:02:19 PM PDT by SoConPubbie

BEDMINSTER, New Jersey — Former President Donald Trump, the leading GOP candidate for president in 2024, told Breitbart News exclusively that while he has not yet made a decision on whether or not he will attend the fast-approaching August 23 first GOP primary debate in Milwaukee, he thinks it would be “sort of foolish” and even possibly “stupid” to do so. The reason, he said, is because his significant polling lead gives him a large advantage over other candidates, but the debate moderators are from a “hostile network”—Fox News—that has overtly attempted to help failing candidates for the GOP nomination against him and those “hostile people” on stage could use the platform to try to hurt him.

Trump’s comments came during an exclusive nearly hourlong interview at his golf club here last Thursday evening, and represent the furthest the former president has as of yet gone in suggesting he probably will not attend the first debate hosted by Fox News. Trump, who enjoys the spotlight debates would provide, is weighing whether or not to go to the debate based on a number of factors. First, he does like debates and believes his performance in the 2016 GOP primary debates and later the general election debates against Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton may very well have gotten him to where is today. But, with his opponents in the GOP primary trailing him so significantly, and the moderators being Fox News anchors who are no fans of Trump, he told Breitbart News he thinks it “could be stupid” for him to appear on stage and give floundering losing candidates like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, or others any shot at him. For their part, some candidates, such as DeSantis and Christie,

(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: debate; desantis; donatedonaldtrump; donatetrump; trump
Trump pointed back to how former President Ronald Reagan, in 1980, skipped a debate—and how other candidates, including himself in 2016, have also skipped debates. He also specifically called Fox News a “hostile network” and predicted that the others on stage—the moderators like Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum as well as the other candidates—would be “hostile people” to him, meaning he would be unlikely to get any benefit out of boosting Fox News’s ratings with an appearance at the Milwaukee debate.

“Reagan didn’t do them. Other people didn’t do them,” Trump said. “I don’t know that I should be doing it, to be up against a hostile network with hostile people that are polling at zero. I mean, they don’t have any votes. One of them actually had a zero with an arrow pointing left. I’m trying to figure out what that means. It probably means they have too many votes, you know, like the election. But they’re at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 maybe—and I’m in the 60s. I see a poll the other day, I’m at 78 and you have people at zero.”

1 posted on 08/02/2023 9:02:19 PM PDT by SoConPubbie
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To: SoConPubbie

“Let them debate so I can see who I MIGHT consider for Vice President!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Trump also noted again that he thinks it could be “foolish” or even “stupid” to appear on the debate stage given his commanding lead over the rest of the field.

“I feel it’s sort of foolish to be doing it,” Trump said. “I think it could be stupid—it could be a stupid thing to do. But I have not made up a decision. I don’t mind doing them. I like to do them—I enjoy them actually and I think they’re a good thing. But when you’re leading somebody by 50 or 60 points, I think doing it might be foolish.”


2 posted on 08/02/2023 9:03:00 PM PDT by SoConPubbie (Trump has all the right enemies, DeSantis has all the wrong friends.)
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To: SoConPubbie

If Tucker did it, the Debate would be worth it, otherwise, nope.


3 posted on 08/02/2023 9:06:09 PM PDT by cowboyusa (YESHUA IS KING OF AMERICA! AMERICA FIRST! DEATH TO MARXISM AN GLOBALISM! Trump 2024, NO more Mr Nice)
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To: SoConPubbie

F’em! I wouldn’t give the Uniparty Judases the ratings bonanza Trump would bring. Are you going to watch those jokers do the Uniparty’s dirty work of attacking MAGA? Not me, I don’t care what any of them, other than Trump, have to say.


4 posted on 08/02/2023 9:11:11 PM PDT by hardspunned (Former DC GOP globalist stooge)
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To: hardspunned
F’em! I wouldn’t give the Uniparty Judases the ratings bonanza Trump would bring. Are you going to watch those jokers do the Uniparty’s dirty work of attacking MAGA? Not me, I don’t care what any of them, other than Trump, have to say.

Partner, we all agree with your statement.

5 posted on 08/02/2023 9:24:35 PM PDT by TheConservativeTejano (The Business of America is Business)
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To: hardspunned
F’em! I wouldn’t give the Uniparty Judases the ratings bonanza Trump would bring. Are you going to watch those jokers do the Uniparty’s dirty work of attacking MAGA? Not me, I don’t care what any of them, other than Trump, have to say.

Partner, we all agree with your statement.

6 posted on 08/02/2023 9:24:57 PM PDT by TheConservativeTejano (The Business of America is Business)
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To: SoConPubbie

Trump doesn’t need the debate. The “debate” needs Trump. Without Trump, no one will be watching. If I was Trump, a good round of 18 on one of his courses would be more productive.


7 posted on 08/02/2023 10:35:58 PM PDT by Dapper 26
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To: SoConPubbie

Nobody is going to watch it without Trump.
Ha ha!


8 posted on 08/02/2023 11:26:31 PM PDT by right way right (May we remain sober over mere men, for God really is our only true hope. )
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To: SoConPubbie

stream Trump/Tucker show same time as the debate.


9 posted on 08/03/2023 2:16:58 AM PDT by MAGAthon
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To: Dapper 26

Yup. 👍


10 posted on 08/03/2023 3:16:21 AM PDT by Cobra64 (Common sense isn’t common anymore)
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To: MAGAthon

Now THAT is a great idea. 👍


11 posted on 08/03/2023 3:16:57 AM PDT by Cobra64 (Common sense isn’t common anymore)
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To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Arthur Wildfire! March; Berosus; Bockscar; BraveMan; cardinal4; ...

12 posted on 08/03/2023 8:04:42 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (Putin should skip ahead to where he kills himself in the bunker.)
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To: SoConPubbie
Fox's night conservatives pay the tab so Fox liberals (who run the day) can get a paycheck.

Here's a suggestion for FOX News to claw back a little credibility: When a person's on air - put a blue bar under the person IF THEY'RE A DEMOCRAT... AND A RED BAR under the picture if the person's a Republican.

That INCLUDES ON AIR TALENT.

If a person is too stupid or too dishonest to tell what party they belong to, DON'T PUT THAT PERSON ON AIR.

Are you there Bret Baier? If 'integrity' really matters to you stop enabling people hiding behind lies and misdirection. Identify guest by party - red and blue...

13 posted on 08/03/2023 9:38:38 AM PDT by GOPJ (What are the odds both Biden WH idogs would only bite Secret Service Agents? NOT ONE CHANCE IN HELL)
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