Former President Donald Trump doubted his supporters could see the political advantage of skipping the first GOP primary debate versus the "entertainment" of his participation, and he was proven right in an impromptu poll of his Erie, Pennsylvania, rally Saturday night.
"We'll see what happens; I haven't made a commitment one way or the other," Trump told his rally, which aired live on Newsmax. "Should I do them or not?
"Hold it. No, wait a minute. Wait, wait, wait, wait. Now take your entertainment cap off, because, for entertainment, everybody's going to say, 'Do it.'
"But now put on your political cap, right? We have to save our country. We have to win. Should I get up there with 10 or 12 hostile people and a hostile network and be abused with terrible questions?"
Trump polled the crowd, which cheered far more wildly and loudly for him participating in the debate next month in Milwaukee.
"People just want entertainment," Trump said, jokingly, defeated as his crowd cheered for him to debate.
Trump then turned to his endorsers in the crowd.
"What do you guys think?" he asked. "No. They're saying no."
Trump's argument against debating has to do with his currently large lead in polls, saying there is little to gain, figuring he would let Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — whom he jokingly calls "Ron DeSanctimonious" — take the arrows from the also-rans.
"The most recent, very respected Rasmussen poll: We're leading to DeSanctimonious by 44 points; we're leading him by 44 points 57-13," Trump said. "Mike Pence is at 5."
Trump tried to settle a booing crowd to come to Pence's defense.
"Well, no," Trump told the boo birds. "Sad. It's sad. And I don't like to see the way he's being treated, but Mike is at 5.
"But the everyone's lower than that. Other people are at 1 and 2 and 0."
Trump asked the crowd why he should give anything a chance.
"'Sir, will you debate?'" Trump pretended to be asked by associates. "You know they're all asking me that question?
"'Sir, will you stand up there against the hostile network? Fox."
Ultimately, Trump said he does not want to give Fox News the ratings bonanza.
"If I agreed to do the debates, I get hit by a hustle network, but I also get hit by all these guys and they are professional politicians," Trump continued. "I mean, they're not stupid people. They just happen to be at 0. And they say, 'What about this President Trump? What about this?'
"And I look at the guy and say, 'You're at 0; you're asking me these questions?'"
About NEWSMAX TV:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America!
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.