The main guest is absent from his party. This Wednesday is the first debate in the Republican primary, and Donald Trump, the most popular candidate of all time, has decided not to attend. “The public already knows who I am,” the former president said on his own platform, Truth Social.
This results in a rather strange situation for the other eight candidates. Trump according Research firm FiveThirtyEight He got 52.5 percent, and he’s the one to beat – the one they can’t fight.
The televised debate, which is being held in Milwaukee, is a crucial time for candidates to introduce themselves to voters across the country. Trump believes there is nothing to be gained. Why allow yourself to be showered with criticism when you are miles ahead?
Fox News, the organizer, forces participants to sign a statement that they will recognize the final winner. Trump may not be waiting for that either. Participants had to further qualify with a maximum of 40,000 donors, from at least 20 states, and at least 1 percent of the vote in three nationwide polls. Businessman Perry Johnson, host Larry Elder, former CIA agent Will Heard, and Francis Suarez, the mayor of Miami, are not welcome.
Who will discuss on Wednesday?
Ron DeSantis (15.2 percent)
Ron DeSantis, 44, is having a hard time. He was a deadly rival to Donald Trump, hailed by Fox News after his extraordinary election victory as governor of Florida — but his campaign was bogged down and bogged down. DeSantis’ awkward attitude toward Trump doesn’t help: The governor wants to convince voters he’s more accommodating, but he’s afraid to criticize the former president for fear of angering them.
The theater is not his natural environment. This debate should prove to DeSantis that the hype was justified, but without Trump, as the second most popular candidate, he will take a hit. And last week, a memo leaked from one of his campaign boxes detailing Wednesday’s debate strategy. One such tactic: aim your arrows at Vivek Ramaswamy, who is approaching him.
Vivek Ramaswamy (9.3 percent)
Vivek Ramaswamy is the wild card in the primary. The pharmaceutical entrepreneur is young (38 years old), very rich (estimated value: $1 billion) and according to recent polls, he is the third most popular candidate. It is quite an achievement for an inexperienced non-political person of no national prominence.
Ramaswamy idolizes Trump, presenting himself as his natural successor: an outsider gifted with rhetoric and a challenger to political convention. The Indian-American Ramaswamy calls himself a “non-white nationalist” and has little patience for geopolitical issues such as the war in Ukraine. He will likely defend Trump’s honor on Wednesday. Ramaswamy promised that if elected, he would pardon Trump for his criminal cases.
Mike Pence (4.7 percent)
Mike Pence, 64, the former vice president under Trump, is having difficulty igniting his campaign. Despite his national prominence, Pence attracts little audience. Trump’s supporters have yet to forgive him for his “betrayal” — Pence’s refusal to reverse the election result — while moderate Republicans grapple with his ultra-conservative Christian worldview.
Pence is usually vocal when it comes to Trump, but he has become more critical in recent weeks. The big question: How will he deal with his former donor on Wednesday?
Chris Christie (3.5 percent)
Chris Christie, 60, the former governor of New Jersey, will have no trouble distinguishing himself. No one criticizes Trump as much as he criticizes him. They were once close allies, but that changed after the storming of the Capitol building, and then the revelation that Trump had contracted the Corona virus. The former president hid his infection during a debate in 2020.
And now Christie’s sworn anti-Trump. The chance of being nominated is slim for Christie. And his ultimate goal seems more likely: to keep Trump out of the saddle. With Trump conspicuously absent, the question is how effective this strategy will be.
Nikki Haley (3.5 percent)
Nikki Haley, 51, was the first to run behind Trump. She was the governor of South Carolina and served as an ambassador to the United Nations under Trump. Haley tours the country tirelessly, but is stagnant in the polls. It wants to come across as calm and reasonable alongside the more volatile Trump and DeSantis, but such a message is hard to crack in this court.
Even in her state, Haley is far behind both frontrunners. This discussion should turn the tide for her. She’s known as a skilled debater, but that’s not enough in Milwaukee. Hailey will have to try what she fails to do: get attention on herself.
Tim Scott (3.4 percent)
Tim Scott, 57, is a top competitor. Not only is he the only black candidate, he is the only black Republican in the Senate, but unlike his rivals, he is running an upbeat and positive campaign. His “America” is not disintegrating, but providing opportunity for all – which he uses his life story as a visual guide.
Scott is slowly but surely leading in the polls. He has so far refrained from attacking his rivals, including Trump. It is difficult to maintain that during the discussion. Will the hard side come out?
Asa Hutchinson (0.7 percent)
Asa Hutchinson, 72, is, along with Chris Christie, Trump’s biggest critic. The former Arkansas governor had great difficulty recruiting the necessary 40,000 donors. His goal is to hurt Trump as a candidate. Christie and Hutchinson have known each other since they were attorneys general, and they both support impeaching Trump — an exception between the two candidates. There is a good chance that they will pool their criticism of the absent former president.
Doug Burgum (0.5 percent)
Doug Burgum, 67, has bought his way into the TV debate. No sarcasm or scolding, just the fact: To reach the 40,000-donor threshold, he promised everyone who donated $1 to his campaign a $20 gift certificate. It cost him a pretty penny, but it worked: he could participate.
Burgum is the governor of sparsely populated North Dakota. He made a fortune working as a software entrepreneur before moving into politics. His biggest obstacle: no one knows who he is. This discussion is crucial to him. Borgum cannot continue to distribute gift cards; This may be his only chance to present himself to the voters.
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