Trump to Hold Fundraiser Concurrent with Alabama Debate

Former President Donald Trump is scheduled to attend a private fundraiser in Florida next week during the fourth Republican presidential primary debate, a source familiar with the plans confirmed to The Hill.

The former president and his campaign aides said he would not attend the Dec. 6 debate in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, hosted by NewsNation.

Trump has yet to contest any of the primary debates, citing his dominant lead in the polls. The latest Morning Consult tracking poll has Trump with a 50-point lead over his nearest competitors in the GOP primary field, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.

Trump’s fundraiser next week in Hallandale Beach, Florida, which was dubbed in a campaign email as a “year-end reception,” will mark the first time the former president has not attempted to counter-program the debate to draw attention away from his rivals, The Hill noted.

During previous Republican primary debates this year, Trump has been interviewed by former Fox News host Tucker Carlson on Twitter, addressed striking UAW workers in Michigan, and held a rally in Miami, close to the venue of the third primary debate.

Trump and his team have urged the Republican National Committee (RNC) to cancel future debates, arguing the party should coalesce behind him as the presumptive nominee given his big lead in the polls. The former president leads his rivals in national polls and by at least 20 points in most state level polls, The Hill reported.

The New York Times also reported that Trump leads President Joe Biden in five key swing states. The New York Times/Siena College poll in early November has Trump leading by 10 points in Nevada, 6 in Georgia, 5 in Arizona, 5 in Michigan, and 4 in Pennsylvania. Biden held a 2-point edge in Wisconsin.

“The survey shows how Mr. Biden begins the next year at a deficit even though Mr. Trump has been indicted on criminal charges four times and faces trial in 2024,” The New York Times wrote. “If the results in the poll were the same next November, Mr. Trump would be poised to win more than 300 Electoral College votes, far above the 270 needed to take the White House.”