Trump takes to Truth Social to give excuse for why he won’t join GOP debate: ‘Reagan didn’t’

Mr Trump skipped the Iowa debate in 2016

Donald Trump is still insisting he will not participate in the upcoming Republican primary debates, citing his lead over his opponents and the precedent set by former President Ronald Reagan.

Mr Trump made his proclamation in a typical rambling post on his Truth Social platform.

"Many people are asking whether or not I will be doing the DEBATES? ALL AMERICANS have been clamoring for a President of extremely High Intelligence. As everyone is aware, my Poll numbers, over a 'wonderful' field of Republican candidates, are extraordinary," Mr Trump wrote. "In fact, I am leading the runner up, whoever that may now be, by more than 50 Points. Reagan didn’t do it, and neither did others. People know my Record, one of the BEST EVER, so why would I Debate? I’M YOUR MAN. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"

Rather than attending the first primary debate on 23 August, Mr Trump will instead be sitting down for a chat with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

Carlson now hosts a web show on X, former known as Twitter.

Mr Trump is correct that Reagan skipped a primary debate in Iowa in 1980, and — like Mr Trump — did so because he was the frontrunner and assumed debating would only benefit his opponents.

Though Reagan would eventually go on to win the nomination and election, the tactic didn't immediately pay off, and he later reversed his thinking on debates.

The night of the Iowa debate his opponent, George HW Bush, performed exceptionally well, and went on to win Iowa despite Reagan's strong polling nationwide.

Even Reagan's Midwest political director, Charlie Black, admitted to NPR that it was a blunder for the campaign.

"We blew Iowa, and I take responsibility for that, because I should have insisted on having him in there more," he said in a 2016 interview.

Not only did Reagan appear at a later debate in New Hampshire, he insisted on having more candidates so he wouldn't have to go head to head with Bush and eventually agreed to fund the event himself. He went on to win the state, and then the nomination and the presidency.

Mr Trump skipped the Iowa debate in 2016, and held a competing event elsewhere in Des Moines, which raised money for veterans. He set the terms of the debate after a spat with then-Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly. He demanded she be removed as the moderator, but Fox refused. So he walked.

The former president is likely correct in his assessment that a debate would provide his opponents with ample opportunities to attack him, and — as he is the far and away front runner — doing so would be tactically sound for all involved.

His closest rival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, previously called on the former president to "step up" and face his challengers, but recent reporting on a strategy memo from the DeSantis camp suggests he may end up defending Mr Trump, according to the New York Times.

The memo reportedly advised Mr DeSantis to defend Mr Trump, especially from attacks that will likely come from former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who has made trashing the former president a centrepiece of his campaign. Mr DeSantis was also advised to hammer "anti-woke" businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, who has been gaining traction as the Florida governor flounders in national polling.