Gingrich Urges RNC to Abandon Remaining GOP Debates

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said the Republican National Committee should cancel the rest of the GOP debates because the former president and front-runner by far, Donald Trump, is going to be the nominee.

Gingrich made the comments Thursday in the aftermath of the second Republican presidential debate, saying he agreed with the assessment of one GOP pollster who said the race is over.

“The pollster said to me, ‘This race is over, Donald Trump will be the nominee, they might as well quit having the various debates because they don’t work, they’re not helping anybody,’ and I think that’s where we are,” Gingrich said in an interview with the Daily Mail.

“I think Trump will be the nominee and the question now for everybody is, ‘Do you want to see Joe Biden reelected or do you want to help Donald Trump?’ There’s no middle ground here, I don’t think.”

Wednesday’s ratings for the second debate were worst than the first. It reportedly had the lowest TV audience for any GOP presidential debate since Trump’s debut appearance in 2015. 

“I think the Republican National Committee should cancel the future debates and say, ‘Look, we recognize the objective fact that Trump will be the nominee. We want to work with him,'” Gingrich said.

The next debate is scheduled for Nov. 8 in Miami and Trump reportedly will skip that one, too, just as he has the first two.

Trump also called for the RNC to cancel the rest of the debates in an interview Thursday.

“They have to stop the debates. Because it is just bad for the Republican Party. They are not going anywhere. There is not going to be a breakout candidate,” Trump told the Daily Caller.

Said Gingrich, “If there is a third debate, it’ll have virtually no viewership. It’ll have no impact except for the news media.

“We are where we are. Trump is not really a candidate; he’s the leader of a national movement. And that’s a totally different psychological and emotional relationship than candidacy,” he added.

Gingrich also dismissed a report earlier this week that a billionaire donor is looking to recruit Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin into the GOP presidential contest and shove him in, if necessary.

“I suspect the money’s there but the votes aren’t,” Gingrich said. “I’m a big fan of Glenn Youngkin, he’s doing a great job in Virginia. I think in 2028 he could be a very impressive, maybe even the front-runner for president. But not this time, not this year.”

Gingrich says the next big hurdle is the weaponization of the Department of Justice against Trump.

“He’s gonna be the nominee. I think it tells you how terrified the left is that they’re doing everything they can legally, because they can’t do anything politically,” he said. “The odds are very high that Trump will win the general election, and they’re gonna do everything they can to stop that.”