After the RNC finalized its schedule of Republican primary debates, last Tuesday, former President Trump went on a Truth Social rant, blasting the RNC for not seeking his approval before planning the debates.
Trump hinted in his rant that he might not “subject” himself to primary debates where he will be “libeled and abused” since he is “leading by seemingly unsurmountable numbers.”
The following day, during an interview on the “Cats & Cosby Show,” Trump doubled down, arguing that he shouldn’t have to participate in primary debates since he is “leading by 40 points.”
While appearing on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, Trump’s stalking horse candidate Vivek Ramaswamy told host Chuck Todd that he would stop Trump from skipping the Republican primary debates.
When Todd asked Ramaswamy if he would refuse to support Trump as the nominee if the former president won’t participate in debates, the 2 percent candidate said he wouldn’t let Trump “get away with that.”
Naturally, this prompted Todd to ask what Ramaswamy meant, noting that Trump “can do what he wants to do.”
Ramaswamy laughably responded by saying none of the Republican candidates, including Trump, will “relish being on that debate stage with me.”
Of course, if there are multiple primary candidates, the RNC may be forced to divide debates into two – one for frontrunners and another for also-rans. Ramaswamy would likely end up on the also-ran stage.
Ramaswamy then declared himself the “outsider” and “disrupter” in the GOP primary. He suggested that candidates who don’t want to debate want to be “an existing establishment” candidate “like Joe Biden,” and added that voters are “hungry for new blood.”
When asked what he thought the RNC could use as leverage to force Trump to participate in the debates, Ramaswamy said the leverage is voters.
He said if presidential candidates want to be seen as having the spine to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping or “take on the state,” they shouldn’t be “scared to show up on the debate stage.”
