MIAMI — The third Republican debate for the 2024 presidential election will take place Wednesday night in Miami, and former President Donald Trump, the Republican front runner, will once again be missing from the stage.
"Trump has been skipping the debates because skipping the debates simply works for him," Alain Sanders, political science professor of emeritus at Saint Peter's University, said.
Sanders told WPTV he believes that's partially because Trump is doing well in the polls and also because he already has a loyal "Make America Great Again" following.
"So there's no point, from his point of view, to engage in debates that could possibly damage him," Sanders said.
In a post on Truth Social in late September, Trump wrote: "I'm up 56 Points, so the Debates would seem to be a complete waste of time."
"As long as he doesn't get on the debate stage, these other candidates can't call him out on anything," Dr. Patricia Crouse, a practitioner in residence in legal studies and political science at New Haven University, said.
It's not only that he sees no point in attending, but Crouse said the four criminal indictments and 91 charges Trump is currently facing would likely be a hot topic at the debate if he attended.
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"You know, these candidates are, in essence, talking to a ghost chair," Crouse said. "You know, they make these comments about, well, Trump's done this and Trump has said this. But as long as he's not on that stage, there's no pushback really."
"Because a debate could entrap him, have him say things he might be embarrassed by later on," Sanders said.
While he won't be at the debate, Trump will be holding a rally Wednesday night in Hialeah, just 11 miles away from the debate venue. Sanders called it a "competing event."
"He really doesn't care about the party," Sanders said. "He believes that the party should be totally loyal to him, and if it isn't, he's going to show the party that he really doesn't care about the party at all."
The GOP debate in Miami starts at 8 p.m. on NBC. Trump is set to take the stage at 7 p.m. in Hialeah.