Trump Hints At Skipping Republican Debates During Campaign Over 'MAGA Hating Anchors'

Former President Donald Trump suggested Tuesday that he may not join the 2024 Republican presidential primary debates during his campaign to avoid being "abused" by critical moderators.

In a post on his social media site Truth Social, Trump complained about the moderators and venues of the debates that have been announced thus far and accused GOP organizers of siding with his critics. He suggested that with his double-digit lead in the polls, he should not have to subject himself to such scrutiny.

"I see that everybody is talking about the Republican Debates, but nobody got my approval, or the approval of the Trump Campaign, before announcing them," Trump wrote.

"When you're leading by seemingly insurmountable numbers, and you have hostile Networks with angry, TRUMP & MAGA [Make America Great Again] hating anchors asking the 'questions,' why subject yourself to being libeled and abused?" he continued.

The former president also criticized the selection of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, as the venue of the second debate. He noted that the chairman of its board of trustees is Fred Ryan, the publisher of The Washington Post, one of the publications Trump has referred to as "fake news" and the "enemy of the American people."

"No!" Trump exclaimed in all caps.

The Republican National Committee (RNC), which oversees the scheduling of the debates and negotiates with the presidential campaigns of GOP candidates, recently announced plans to hold two debates: one in Milwaukee and another in California.

However, no specific dates have been set yet, according to RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel.

Meanwhile, Trump's former White House chief strategist and right-wing mainstay Steve Bannon said that no debate should be held as Trump is already in the lead comfortably and still enjoys strong support from the Republican base.

"It's an insult to the president [Trump] and an insult to MAGA," Bannon claimed, according to the New York Daily News.

By tradition, incumbents who are running for a second term automatically get the support of the party and skip any primary debates, as is the case for President Joe Biden.

However, the playbook for former presidents who are seeking reelection after losing the general election is not yet written, as the last one-term president before Trump, former President George H. W. Bush, did not seek reelection after losing to former President Bill Clinton in 1992.

Aside from Trump, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy have announced their candidacy for the Republican nomination.

Reports said that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former Vice President Mike Pence are still mulling whether to join the 2024 race or not.