Trump is now alleging that Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida is attempting to withdraw from the presidential race to protect his reputation for the 2028 election. Trump, who maintains a commanding lead in the polls, criticizes DeSantis for supposedly wasting time and using funds raised for his gubernatorial campaign inappropriately for his presidential bid.
Trump claims that one of DeSantis’ advisors, Steve Cortes, believes DeSantis should exit the race before the debates commence. However, Trump’s assertions about Cortes are not entirely supported by Cortes’ tweets, which highlight DeSantis’ electability against President Joe Biden.
Trump mentions that Cortes praised him as the best presidential debater in history. Recent polling data from Iowa shows Trump widening his lead over DeSantis, with a significant number of voters who view DeSantis favorably still choosing Trump. According to the analysis, voters prefer Trump over DeSantis for economic recovery, combatting progressive policies, and addressing their concerns. Trump also holds a slight advantage over DeSantis in terms of perceived chances of defeating Biden.
Despite the poll, the DeSantis campaign reported raising the highest amount of money in a first-quarter campaign compared to other Republican candidates who are not currently in office in the past decade. They claimed to have raised more funds than former President Donald Trump’s first two fundraising quarters ($3.8 million in Q4 of 2022 and $14.5 million in Q1 of 2023).
Trump, who holds a huge lead, is now questioning whether it is necessary for him to participate in the debates, given his substantial lead over the other candidates. He dismisses claims by the “fake news” media that anti-Trump candidates are impeding DeSantis’ progress.
DeSantis has announced that he will attend the first Republican presidential debate next month, even if former President Trump does not participate. This is a clear statement from the Florida governor, who had previously avoided answering questions about his potential involvement in the debate.
It is currently uncertain who will take part in the first RNC debate on August 23rd. In order to be eligible, candidates must have received contributions from a minimum of 40,000 individual donors. To qualify for the upcoming debate, candidates must have a polling percentage of at least 1% in three high-quality national polls or a combination of national and early-state polls. Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Tim Scott, Nikki Haley, and Vivek Ramaswamy have all confirmed that they meet the qualifications.