Introduction:
WASHINGTON — The Republican presidential candidates — most of them — will gather this week for the first debate that will revolve around someone who probably won't be there: Donald Trump. The GOP front-runner's absence from the stage in Milwaukee creates a new layer of challenges for other Republican candidates who see the primary debate as an opportunity to emerge as a leading alternative to the former president. Breaking news today debate also exposes all GOP presidential candidates to potential problems.
"They have to look and act like someone who could be president of the United States," said Republican pollster Whit Ayers, "and most of them need to show that they have the ability to defeat Trump." are"He's going to be at the center of the debate whether he's there or not," Ayers said.
Candidates who have qualified for the debate stage so far include Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.They all have plans and potential pitfalls, even non-debate Trump:
Donald Trump: The man who won't be there
Plan: The former president is gambling that his absence will drain attention - and television viewers - from the other candidates, rendering their debate a nullity. He is discussing the possibility of counter-programming the debate by holding an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
Pitfall: The other candidates get free shots at Trump, who faces four criminal trials and other legal proceedings that will distract him throughout the 2024 campaign. Don't forget: During the 2016 campaign, Trump skipped a debate in Iowa - and lost that year's caucuses to Ted Cruz.
Ron DeSantis: Stay in second place
Plan: Use the debate to promote his record in Florida and re-establish himself as Trump's main competitor.
In recent months, DeSantis has seen his percentage of the Republican vote fall from the mid-to-low 20s to below 15%, according to the average of recent polls compiled by the Real Clear Politics website. DeSantis has slipped to third place in some individual polls, a development that Trump and his allies have harped upon. Former Vice President Mike Pence, a Republican presidential candidate, said Sunday that he was not aware of any "broad-based effort" by former President Donald Trump to declassify documents before he left the White House."The White House goes through a process to classify material, I'm aware that there have been a number of cases over the course of our four years," Pence said in an interview
Mike Pence says he didn't know of 'any broad-based effort
A spokeswoman for the Trump campaign and a lawyer for Meadows did not immediately respond to requests from NBC News for comment on the ABC News report. Maddow's attorney declined to comment to ABC News, and the special counsel's office declined to comment to both NBC News and ABC News.
In a statement to ABC News, a Trump spokesman accused the Justice Department, without evidence, of "selectively leaking incomplete information" to influence the 2024 election.
"That doesn't mean it didn't occur, I just— it's just not something that I ever heard about,” the former vice president said. "That doesn't mean it didn't occur, I just— it's just not something that I ever heard about,” the former vice president said. "That doesn't mean it didn't occur, I just— it's just not something that I ever heard about,” the former vice presiden
"That doesn't mean it didn't occur, I just— it's just not something that I ever heard about,” the former vice president said.
