WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump threatened Monday to skip at least the first Republican debate, complaining that one of the sponsors, Fox News, ignored his recent campaign events.
Fox did not air Trump’s weekend speeches in Washington, D.C. and Michigan and “then wants me to show up and score them for their ‘presidential’ debate, where I lead the pack by 40 points” , Trump said on Truth Social.
“Sorry FoxNews, life doesn’t work that way!!!” added the former president.
Trump has made his latest threat as a growing number of Republicans try to pressure him into participating in the debates, starting with an August event in Milwaukee.
Reince Priebus, Trump’s former White House chief of staff and chairman of the Republican Party, predicted on ABC’s “This Week” that Trump would eventually step in, if only to address rivals like the former New York governor. Jersey Chris Christie.
“I think it will happen,” Priebus said, adding that the nation is in the middle of “middle finger politics…the world of Wrestlemania politics, the world where, you know, attention is what everything the world is looking for help.”
Republican opponents have also urged Trump to debate, saying he owes it to GOP primary voters.
Christie, the former governor of New Jersey, was particularly vocal, saying the only reason Trump would refuse to debate is fear.
“If Trump doesn’t want to debate, then he doesn’t want to be president,” Christie tweeted Monday.
Trump has long suggested he would avoid Republican debates, in part because of sponsorship organizations.
In recent years, Trump has attacked Fox News coverage, which will provide questioners for the Milwaukee debate. Trump previously praised the network but now complains that he favors Republican rival Ron DeSantis.
The former president and front-runner for the 2024 Republican nomination also attacked officials at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Library, which plans to hold a Republican debate in September.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Donald Trump Threatens to Skip 2024 GOP Debate on Fox News Coverage