Former President Donald Trump hailed his campaign foresight on skipping the Republican National Committee debates, saying it would have been "stupid" to give the also-rans a platform against him.
Trump mocked former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson as a "nasty guy," former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie as "Sloppy Chris," and Gov. Ron DeSantis as "Ron DeSanctimonious."
"But why do you debate these people?" Trump asked his Cedar Rapids, Iowa, rally in a speech that aired live and in its entirety on Newsmax.
"You want to elect a smart president, not a stupid president, right?"
The debate next month in Miami might be the last of the GOP primary campaign before the Jan. 15, 2024, Iowa caucuses.
"My geniuses just told me — not that my geniuses ever predicted that much; my prediction rate is much better — but they say that they're going to cancel all the debates after Miami," Trump said. "That's what I hear. Makes sense, right?
"You know when you're up 62 points, what's the purpose of this thing?"
Trump mocked his GOP presidential primary opponents for their low polling numbers and their frustration at not getting a chance to debate on the stage with the former president from far behind.
"They said, 'Why isn't Trump debating? Trump should debate; he should debate," Trump said. "I said, 'Wait a minute. I'm up 62 points.'"
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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.
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