Fox executives had dinner with former President Donald Trump on Tuesday night and urged him to participate in a televised primary debate, according to a New York Times report.
Shortly after news broke of Trump’s third indictment, Fox executives made a “soft appeal” to the former president, telling him that he performs well on stage and that they want him to showcase his debate skills, according to two people familiar with the dinner who spoke with The New York Times. Trump did not give a definitive answer but told the executives that he would keep an open mind, the sources told the Times.
Trump has not definitively declared whether he will debate or not, but his social media posts heavily suggest that he plans to skip the first debate due to his immense lead in the polls.
Other candidates have criticized Trump’s unwillingness to commit to attending the first debate. In 2016, Donald Trump attended eleven of the twelve GOP debates en route to winning the Republican nomination. His strong performances in those early debates, including a viral clash with prospective frontrunner Jeb Bush, greatly boosted Trump’s long-shot campaign. (RELATED: DeSantis Calls On Trump To Step Up Onto Primary Debate Stage)
A ClASSIC DEBATE MOMENT!!!
Donald Trump cleans Jeb’s clock thus ending the Bush Dynasty.
How much better does it get?
🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂 pic.twitter.com/zJhn7B7UjV— John D (@jtd_gameon12) May 25, 2023
Five Republican candidates are expected to make the debate stage: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie have all reportedly reached the necessary threshold to participate. Whether former Vice President Mike Pence will be eligible remains in question due to the donor requirement.
Trump has indicated to people close to him that, although he is open to joining the stage, he does not want any of the other candidates to “have a moment” against him in the primary, according to the Times report. The former president has led the GOP primary polls since his announcement, according to the Real Clear Politics polling average.