Trump to Attend Final GOP Debate? Signs Point to His Attendance, Ex-WH Chief of Staff Says
A former White House chief of staff who served former President Donald Trump said he believes Trump will join the final scheduled Republican presidential debate.
“There’s been some reports that the Trump campaign team reached out to the organizers to ask a bunch of logistical questions,” Mick Mulvaney told Sky News Australia.
Mulvaney was acting White House chief of staff from January 2019, to March 2020, according to Ballotpedia.
Mulvaney said security has checked out the Tuscaloosa, Alabama, venue where the debate will be held.
“Another data point is that the Secret Service did actually sweep the area over the weekend, and Donald Trump is the only Republican candidate who has Secret Service cover,” he told Sky News.
“It’s creating a little bit of a stir for folks who are at least looking for something to be interested in in this Republican primary,” he said.
Trump, who has not yet attended a debate, remains far ahead in all of the polls. The Republican Iowa caucuses are scheduled for Jan. 15, according to the Des Moines Register.
NBC has been reporting that Trump’s plans called for a private fundraiser in Florida during the debate.
On Tuesday, Fox News host Sean Hannity will broadcast a town hall taped before a live audience in Davenport, Iowa, according to Fox News.
Wednesday’s debate will include former U.N. Ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, according to USA Today.
As of Monday morning, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has not yet met the qualifications for the debate, but he was saying he expected to do so.
.@NikkiHaley claims @realDonaldTrump is “hiding” because he won’t come on the debate stage with a bunch of candidates hoping to be in second place.
The right and left need Trump in their lives always. They can’t live without him.
— Mike Sperrazza (@MikeASperrazza) November 29, 2023
“Watching the trajectory of the debates, the one that is probably going to try to capture their moment will be Nikki Haley because she is in a position to maybe securely take the second spot away from Ron DeSantis,” said Chris Brown, an Alabama-based Republican strategist, according to The Hill.
In the ebb and flow of all campaigns, Haley gained mention last week after Americans for Prosperity Action, the group led by billionaire Charles Koch, supported her candidacy.
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said Democrats should cross the party line to support her.
“Combining that recent victory with a positive debate performance could really solidify her as the most credible alternative to Trump or in a clear second place,” said Aaron Kall, director of debate at the University of Michigan.
Although Wednesday’s debate is the last of the debates sponsored by the Republican National Committee, Politico reported that ABC and CNN may seek to hold them in 2024.
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