Former President Donald Trump, who attempted a coup, demanded on Monday that his Republican party stop hosting debates for presidential rivals or be revamped.
Trump has not attended any debates hosted by the Republican National Committee since late August, and has no intentions of attending the next one next month.
As the actual voting in primaries and caucuses nears and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley rises in the polls, Trump and his campaign have become increasingly vocal about ending the debates entirely.
“RNC must save money on lowest ever ratings debates. Use it against the Democrats to STOP THE STEAL! If not, REVAMP THE RNC, NOW!!!” Trump wrote on his social media website Monday afternoon.
It is unclear why Trump believes that hosting the debates costs the RNC money when the media partners are the ones that bear the expenses. It’s also unclear how, precisely, the RNC should be restructured or what the mechanism for that might be.
Former President Donald Trump waves goodbye at the conclusion of a campaign rally Nov. 2 at Trendsetter Engineering in Houston. Trump is insisting that the Republican National Committee not host future debates for his GOP rivals.
RNC members said Trump appears not to understand how the debates work.
“The debates cost the RNC nothing,” said longtime Massachusetts member Ron Kaufman. “In fact, they are fundraisers for us. There are always folks who love to go and know they will be asked to give, and they do.”
“Not sure why he thinks they are a drain on resources,” said Illinois member Richard Porter. “Perhaps the debates worry him for another reason?”
In his Truth Social post, Trump also cited a new national poll that shows him with an enormous lead over his rivals. Trump used a signature childish nicknames for some of his rivals.
Political consultants from both parties agree that Trump’s losses in states that vote first in the primaries could let a challenger win, particularly with his first criminal trial for his actions leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, coup attempt set to start in early March.
Trump faces a total of 91 felony counts in four separate indictments and remains the front-runner for the Republican party’s 2024 presidential nomination.
