Former President Donald Trump will not attend the third Republican presidential primary debate in Miami, the Daily Caller reported.
“They should stop the discussions. Because it’s bad for the Republican Party,” Trump told the right-wing publication. “There’s not going to be a breakout candidate.”
Trump is not expected to attend the third debate on Nov. 8 — after skipping the first two meetings, including Wednesday night’s showdown at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California.
Trump’s advisers have pointed to his lead in the polls as one reason why he is reluctant to share the stage with his GOP challengers. Earlier this week, the former president called the primary debates “stupid.” He told former Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly earlier this month that he was unlikely to debate his GOP rivals while participating in general election debates with President Joe Biden.
“I don’t see it,” Trump said. “Why should I do that?”
Many of Trump’s rivals took shots at him for not participating in the debates. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said on stage that he was “missing in action” and then challenged the former president to a one-on-one. Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley said, “You can’t win if you don’t exist.”
Creating a Discussion Forum: Other GOP candidates face higher thresholds from the Republican National Committee to qualify for the third debate. Participants must register at least 4% in two national polls, or one national poll and two polls from separate early voting states – Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina or Nevada.
There must be at least 70,000 individual donors with at least 200 donors in 20 states or territories, and the RNC requires participants to sign a pledge to support the eventual GOP candidate.
