Washington: Former US President Donald Trump will skip the fourth Republican primary debate scheduled to take place in Alabama next week and instead attend a fundraiser in Hallandale Beach, Florida, to raise money for MAGA, Inc., the super political action committee (PAC) supporting his 2024 candidacy to the White House.
Trump did not attend any of the three Republican debates, citing a commanding lead in the polls, reports CNN.
Instead, the former President has held an event for autoworkers in Detroit amid the union strike and put on a competing rally in Florida.
In a text message to supporters earlier this week, Trump’s campaign announced the “VIP reception” and told recipients that if they made donations, they would be automatically entered to win a trip to meet the former President at a reception December 6, the same day as the third debate.
Earlier this month, Trump’s campaign called on the Republican National Committee (RNC) to cancel all future debates.
Even as the former President battles 91 criminal counts across four indictments, he is still the Republican primary’s frontrunner in both national and early state polling, CNN reported.
Meanwhile to appear in the fourth debate in Tuscaloosa, the Republican candidates will need to reach 80,000 unique donors with at least 200 in 20 states or territories and register at least 6 per cent in two qualifying national polls or in one national poll and two polls from separate early voting states: Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina or Nevada.
The RNC also continues to require candidates to sign a pledge committing to support the eventual Republican nominee.
The third debate earlier this month saw Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott take the stage, with North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum and former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson failing to meet the RNC’s threshold.
Scott has since joined former Vice President Mike Pence in suspending his White House bid.
