No Matter Who Shows, the Debates Will Bolster Trump
Donald Trump was a well-known reality TV star before he was president of the United States. Anyone hoping to take on a man with perhaps the highest name identification on the planet would need to do well in a nationally televised debate. The Iowa state fair isn’t going to help a candidate like Miami mayor Francis Suarez or North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum break out. With Trump’s dominant lead in polls and a growing sense of inevitability, it seems the Aug. 23 debate in Wisconsin could be the last chance to stop him.
But that won’t happen. Trump is threatening to skip the forum and hold his own event because – of course. No matter who ends up on stage, and who performs well, the net effect will likely just serve to cement Trump’s standing in the race.
The rules that the Republican National Committee have set to limit participation are making it difficult for candidates to make the cut. They are being asked to sign a pledge to support the nominee – one Trump would never honor if he even signed – and must not only reach certain threshold in polling but also have contributions from 40,000 donors. The night isn’t likely to include the full roster of candidates, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is getting cold feet about showing up as well.
The fewer the A-list participants and the lower the television ratings, the slimmer the possibility that the first primary debate, let alone the second one, can shuffle the race. In the words of Chris Christie, the debate next month is likely to end a lot of campaigns, not jump-start them. “I think for those people who don’t make the debate stage, it’s very hard for them to make the case for why they should stay in the race, and I’m sure they will have trouble raising money after that,” the former New Jersey governor told Politico.
