MILWAUKEE — It remains to be seen if former President Donald Trump will attend the Republican primary presidential debate in Milwaukee in 2023.
But Trump appears to be testing the room. The former president asked in an email to supporters on Sunday, "please take my poll on whether you think I should show up to the Republican primary debate."
"We’re outraising the entire field. We have more support from the grassroots than anyone else – and it’s not even close," according to Trump.
For months Trump has suggested he will skip the debate, scheduled for Aug. 23, 2023 at Fiserv Forum, according to USA Today. He has argued that he doesn't need the debate because he leads in the polls and doesn't want to open himself up to attacks from the other candidates.
Meanwhile, Trump's opponents as well as Fox News officials, whose channel is airing the Milwaukee debate, have been urging him to attend the debate.
"If Trump doesn’t show up to the debates, he’s a coward," said presidential contender and former New Jersy Gov. Chris Christie.
According to presidential contender and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recently, "nobody is entitled to be nominated; you've got to earn it. And I think he should show up and make his case and answer questions like the rest of us."
The second GOP primary debate is set for Sept. 27, 2023 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.