Donald Trump won't be at Thursday night's GOP debate, but the Republican front-runner's decision to boycott the event will likely still keep him at the forefront of the debate — and may have more strategic reasons than his ongoing feud over Fox News and star host Megyn Kelly.
Trump's lead in the Iowa polls have only dropped a few times when Texas Sen. Ted Cruz' numbers topped his, reports
The Hill, but Wednesday afternoon, one day after Trump said he was staying out of the debate,
RealClearPolitics averages showed him remaining six points ahead in Iowa.
And instead of debating with a stage filled with other candidates, Trump will host an event at 9 p.m. Thursday — the same time his GOP rivals will appear on stage for the Fox News debate — in hopes of drawing attention away from the other candidates just days before the Iowa Caucuses start on Tuesday.
According to his campaign, the event, being held at Drake University in Des Moines, will "raise money for the Veterans and Wounded Warriors who have been treated so horribly by our all talk, no action politicians," and will allow him to be on stage alone, rather than face attacks from his rivals or questions from Kelly and the other Fox News moderators.
Meanwhile, back at the debate, Trump's absence will open the way for his rivals to ridicule him as being afraid to face Kelly, and to call him "soft" and poke holes in his tough stances on the issues.
Already, Cruz has challenged Trump to a one-on-one debate, and on Wednesday, the super PACs that support the Texan and tea party favorite say they'll give $1.5 million to veterans' charities if Trump will appear at a
Sioux City venue that's already reserved for 8 p.m. local time Saturday night for a pro-Cruz rally.
The venue has 800 seats available for Iowans, with Trump being able to use half of them, reports
NBC News. Supporting Ted Cruz are offering $1.5 million to veterans charities if Donald Trump agrees to debate Cruz one-on-one before the Iowa caucus, heightening the stakes around Cruz's proposal just five days before the Iowa caucus.
However, Trump already has a Saturday night rally scheduled in Davenport, Iowa, located on Iowa's eastern border, while Sioux City is on the opposite side of the state. Trump has ridiculed Cruz' offer, tweeting Wednesday that "even though I beat him in the first six debates, especially the last one, Ted Cruz wants to debate me again. Can we do it in Canada?"
By staying out of the debate itself though, Trump will force Cruz to center stage, where he'll have to bear the brunt of the attacks from other candidates. Cruz does have powerful debate skills though, so that strategy could benefit him, but just one good strike could harm the Texas senator just days before the Iowa caucuses begin.
Staying away from the debate could also renew focus on Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, whose race has been overshadowed by the arguments between Trump and Cruz.
But Trump's move, which has dominated the news cycle for two days, could also backfire, with several undecided voters telling
Reuters they are not impressed by his gamble.
"I was on Trump's doorstep until this whole thing happened. I was disappointed," said Bryan Moon of West Des Moines, Iowa, who was interviewed at an event for Rubio. "If this is how he's going to act, that 'I'm taking my ball and going home,' then that is just not going to work."
Another voter at the Rubio event, Jill Ruby, also ridiculed Trump for his decision, calling him a "coward," and saying "that's not how a president acts, you don't just run away."
However, Eric Fehrnstrom, a Republican strategist who advised 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney, said that by staying away from the debate, Trump is "denying his opponents a large audience as they make their final arguments to Iowa voters."
And even though Trump won't be there to defend himself, Ari Fleischer, who served as White House Press Secretary for President George W. Bush, said it would not be good strategy for his rivals to attack him, because "it won't play well because he's not there to defend himself."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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