<!-- wp:html --><p>Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast / Getty</p>
<p>Conventional wisdom has long assumed that <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-is-the-quentin-tarantino-of-gop-politics">Donald Trump</a> probably wouldn’t show up to the first <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/gops-debate-rules-make-it-impossible-for-trump-to-lose">Republican primary debate</a>, and, moreover, that he probably <em>shouldn’t</em>.</p>
<p>After all, Trump is currently <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2024/president/us/2024_republican_presidential_nomination-7548.html">leading by 40 percentage points</a> in national polls. His lead in Iowa is narrower but <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/04/us/politics/trump-iowa-poll.html">still dominant</a>. Why would a former president with such a commanding lead deign to elevate his adversaries to rival status?</p>
<p>If Trump shows up next week, he would face not just his nearest competitor, Florida Gov. <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/free-advice-for-ron-desantis-dont-run-for-president">Ron DeSantis</a>, and his former vice president, <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/mike-pence-breaks-ranks-with-donald-trump-ron-desantis-but-hurts-his-2024-chances">Mike Pence</a>, but also ex-New Jersey Gov. <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/win-or-lose-chris-christie-is-running-the-best-campaign-against-trump">Chris Christie</a>, a <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/chris-christie-wants-to-out-trump-trump">skilled brawler</a> who has <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/chris-christie-can-redeem-himself-by-hitting-trump-hard">the potential to draw blood</a>. There’s another reason Trump might think twice about debating: By skipping the first debate, Trump could set up <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/desantis-faces-major-test-first-2024-republican-debate-2023-08-07/">DeSantis as everyone’s de facto target</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/showing-up-to-gop-debate-would-be-the-ultimate-trump-flex">Read more at The Daily Beast.</a></p><!-- /wp:html -->
Conventional wisdom has long assumed that Donald Trump probably wouldn’t show up to the first Republican primary debate, and, moreover, that he probably shouldn’t.
After all, Trump is currently leading by 40 percentage points in national polls. His lead in Iowa is narrower but still dominant. Why would a former president with such a commanding lead deign to elevate his adversaries to rival status?
