NEW POLL: 73 Percent of GOP Voters In Survey Touted By Trump Say He Should Participate in First Primary Debate

Kyle Mazza/NurPhoto via AP

A CBS News/YouGov poll of the national GOP primary electorate touted by Donald Trump to explain his decision to skip the Republican primary debates indicates that a supermajority of Republican voters believe he should participate.

For months, Trump teased that he may not participate in the first debate, which will be hosted by Fox News on Wednesday. On Sunday, he made that and more official.

“New CBS POLL, just out, has me leading the field by “legendary” numbers. TRUMP 62%, 46 Points above DeSanctimonious (who is crashing like an ailing bird!), Ramaswamy 7%, Pence 5%, Scott 3%, Haley 2%, Sloppy Chris Christie 2%, “Aida” Hutchinson 1%,” declared Trump on Truth Social. “The public knows who I am & what a successful Presidency I had, with Energy Independence, Strong Borders & Military, Biggest EVER Tax & Regulation Cuts, No Inflation, Strongest Economy in History, & much more. I WILL THEREFORE NOT BE DOING THE DEBATES!”

In spite of their affinity for the former president, however, GOP voters also overwhelmingly said that Trump should be present at the first debate. Seventy-three precent answered that Trump should be at the debate while just 27% agreed with the candidate that he should sit it out.

Thirty-five percent said they would “definitely” tune into the event while 34% said they would “probably” watch. A combined 31% said they would probably or definitely refrain from watching.

Still, there is more good news for Trump to be found in the survey: Just 9% of voters said they would like Trump’s opponents to place an emphasis on “Making the case against Donald Trump.”

Trump will reportedly have surrogates on site at the debate in Milwaukee on Wednesday to work the spin room in spite of his own absence. Two of those surrogates, Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) and Kari Lake, are on the record blasting Democrats for their reticence to debate before last year’s midterm elections.

“The debate of ideas is part of the job,” argued Donalds last year.

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