Gaetz: Trump presence at debate would ‘platform’ other candidates
- Donald Trump will not participate in the first GOP primary debate
- Rep. Matt Gaetz said it could potentially elevate other candidates
- Trump remains the polling front-runner despite four indictments
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(NewsNation) — Former President Donald Trump will not take the stage at the first Republican presidential primary debate Wednesday in Milwaukee.
If he did, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., says it would only serve to platform the other candidates “who have no real likelihood to become president.”
“Donald Trump is focused on beating Joe Biden,” Gaetz said Tuesday on “The Hill on NewsNation.” “Poor Mike Pence is like clinging to the debate stage for his political life. All President Trump would do there is have people tune in to see him and would be disrupted by those other candidates.”
Instead, Trump will sit down with former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson for an interview on Carlson’s new show on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
A day after, Trump plans to turn himself in to authorities in Georgia on charges that he conspired to undo the results of the 2020 election. It’s the fourth criminal indictment the president is facing.
Despite the legal troubles, Gaetz believes Trump may be able to win back swing voters on economic issues.
“Certainly, President Trump would rather not be indicted than be indicted, but if you’re going to have to pay the piper, then you might as well dance, and there’s no master of political timing quite like Trump, so it will smother this debate when President Trump makes his appearance in Fulton County,” Gaetz said.
