Former President Donald Trump, 77, let Fox News, the media and the Republican National Committee [RNC] know who’s boss, skipping the Aug. 23, 2023 presidential debate in Miwaukee. Trump wants no part of Fox News for betraying him early on in the 2024 campaign for supporting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Since DeSantis announced May 24, his polls have plummeted due to lackluster campaigning. Once thought of the heir apparent for Trump, DeSantis has proved anything but, leaving other candidates scrambling for GOP votes. DeSantis poor showing indicates he’s no match for Trump who’s campaign skills far exceed other GOP candidates. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, one of Trump’s biggest critics, polls at about 2%, barely enough to make the Aug. 23 debated stage. Christie thinks bashing Trump scores him points, something clearly mistaken.
Trump can’t see any upside to the debates, giving desperate candidates like Christie to go on the attack. Trump realizes he furnishes only bigger ratings for Fox News and other candidates. Whether admitted to or not, few people want to watch lesser-know GOP candidates battle it out for votes. Christie called Trump a “coward” for passing on Wednesday’s night’s debate, all because Christie fantasizes about a knockout moment, like he had in 2016 with Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fl.). Christie would have no knockout with Trump, only embarrassing himself and the rest of the GOP audience. Trump said his positions—and track record—are well known to GOP voters, not necessary to show up for a run-of-the-mill debate. None of other GOP candidates, with the exception of 38-year-old tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramasway, oppose Biden’s proxy war against the Kremlin.
Christe, former U.N. Amb. Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov Asa Hutchinson, and Sen. Tim Scott all support 80-year-old President Joe Biden’s madness in Ukraine. Biden actually thinks he’s going to defeat the Russian Federation, a complete delusion perpetuated by Ukraine’s 45-year-old President Volodymyr Zelensky who thinks he can buffalo anyone by promising to defend European democracy. Only Trump, DeSantis and Ramawamy think the war must end, wasting billions on a stalemated conflict with no end in sight. Biden wrecked U.S.-Russian relations after decades of hard-fought diplomacy and détente, working for generations to have cooperative, pragmatic relations with Russia. Christie talks like Biden 2.0, telling audiences that under Christie administration he won’t cozy up to Russia or China, standing up to dictatorships and authoritarian regimes around the planet.
When Trump debated in 2016 against a formidable field of career politicians, including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tx.), Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fl.) and former New Jersey Gov. Christie Christie, he more than held his own. Trump decided to skip the Aug. 23 Fox News debate to send a message to Fox News. Despite the liberal media branding Fox News as pro-Trump, it’s been anything but with the likes of former hosts Chris Wallace and Shepard Smith, current hosts Bret Baier and Neil Cavuto, routinely joining the GOP’s anti-Trump crowd. Fox’s executive suite led by Rupert and his son Lachlan Murdoch also don’t have much love for Trump. So when Christie and Hutchinson promise to make the focus of the debate about Trump, they’ll turn off the Fox News audience, not to mention lose more ground in the polls. Christie and Hutchinson register under 2%, not long for the race.
Christie has garnered most of his free publicity from liberal radio and TV stations looking to disparage Trump at every opportunity. Trump knows his lead in polls for the nomination has grown with every new indictment. Republican voters think the indictments are politically motivated, driving by the deep state of career Democrats looking to sabotage Trump’s chances in 2024. Unlike 2020 where Democrats got the better of Trump, the narrative has changed from Biden the savior to Biden the menace to the U.S. economy and foreign policy. Democrats can’t play the pandemic or race card in 2024, only try to tout Biden’s indefensible record. With the U.S. in a proxy war with the Russian Federation and Biden threatening war with Communist China, voters have a big choice in 2024. Giving Biden another four years would rubber-stamp his reckless foreign policy.
Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel made a big mistake forcing GOP candidates to sign a loyalty pledge, knowing that Trump would never do it. How could Trump possibly support Chris Christie after watching him betray his confidence and go after his former boss. Christie was once as obsequious as it gets with Trump, until he was denied attorney general, eventually turning on Trump. Christie was embroiled in his Bridgegate scandal at the time, hardly a paragon of ethics, something he claims to be now. Trump’s decision to pass on the debate speaks volumes about his relationship to Fox New but, more importantly, not lending credibility to Christie’s failed campaign. Running at 2% shows that Christie learned nothing from 2016 that snark-and-sarcasm don’t play well to voters. Fox News and Christie have no one to blame but themselves.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
