Former President Donald Trump recently fired back at other Republican challengers who had criticized him during the second GOP debate. Trump opted to skip the second debate and instead give a speech to the United Auto Workers (UAW) strike.
Mr. Trump noted that it was “much more important” for him to appear in front of the striking workers than spend his time squabbling with opponents he has a massive leader over in the polls. The former president cited a nearly 60-point lead he has in the polls and claimed it would be more impactful to speak to his constituents.
“I thought it was much more important, considering I have a 56-point lead, for me to be dealing with the UAW and the fact that the Biden administration is going to destroy their jobs over the next two years by going all electric vehicle,” Trump said.
Trump’s decision not to participate in the debates has drawn harsh criticism from other Republicans trying to win the nomination. They have suggested the former president should appear on the debate stage to defend his prior administration and make a case for himself in 2024.
Some GOP candidates tried to play Trump at his own game, assigning him slanderous nicknames. Mr. Trump gained a reputation on debate stages before his first administration for coining nicknames and catchphrases such as “Crooked Hillary,” “Crooked Joe,” and “Jeb is a mess.”
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie came out swinging against Trump, claiming he was “ducking” things, claiming Donald Trump’s new nickname would be “Donald Duck.” Christie’s attempt to attack Trump was certainly cringe-inducing and a far cry from the former president’s ability to poke fun at his opponents hilariously.
“Donald, I know you’re watching. You can’t help yourself,” Christie said. “You’re ducking these things. And let me tell you what’s going to happen. You keep doing that, no one here’s going to call you Donald Trump anymore.” Christie added: “We’re going to call you Donald Duck.” Donald Trump called out Christie for attacking his character, suggesting, “Anybody that would come up with that nickname shouldn’t be running for president,” he said.
The American Tribune recently reported on calls from the Trump campaign to cancel further debates and focus efforts on drawing attention to Biden. Given Trump’s untouchable lead, Trump’s campaign advisor, Chris LaCivita has suggested Republicans should “train our fire” on getting Biden out of the White House.
“Tonight’s GOP debate was as boring and inconsequential as the first debate, and nothing that was said will change the dynamics of the primary contest being dominated by President Trump. President Trump has a 40- or 50-point lead in the primary election and a 10-point lead over Joe Biden in the general election, and it’s clear that President Trump alone can defeat Biden,” LaCivita said. “The RNC should immediately put an end to any further primary debates so we can train our fire on Crooked Joe Biden and quit wasting time and money that could be going to evicting Biden from the White House.
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