Trump Teases a Debate Announcement

Former President Donald Trump said that he has made a decision regarding his participation in the coming GOP primary debate, and will be announcing it next week.

At the moment, seven candidates out of the crowded GOP field have met the Republican National Committee (RNC) qualifications to participate in the debate in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on August 23. Trump previously said that he would not attend the event.

In an interview with Newsmax's Eric Bolling on Wednesday, however, the former president hinted that he may have changed his mind.

"In the past, you said, 'It'd be stupid to go to that debate, because I'm winning,'" Bolling posed to Trump during their interview. "You're not going to that debate, are you?"

"I'll let it be known next week," Trump replied.

Bolling later asked to clarify with the former president if he planned on making a decision about the debate next week, to which Trump responded that he's "already decided, and I'll be announcing something next week."

Trump previously said that he would not participate in the debate because it was being hosted by Fox News, which, he said, wasn't covering his other campaign events enough. He also told Bolling that he took issue with the pledge that candidates are asked to sign before debating, which states that if the signee does not win the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, they will "honor the will of the primary voters and support the Republican presidential nominee in order to save our country and beat Joe Biden."

Candidates also pledge to "not seek to run as an independent or write-in candidate" if they lose in the primary. The Washington Post reported Tuesday that businessman Vivek Ramaswamy is the first GOP candidate to sign the agreement.

According to the former president, he does not agree with the pledge because he has "three or four people" in the GOP pool that he wouldn't support as president.

"[Former Arkansas Governor] Asa Hutchinson, whose polling is zero, will ask me nasty questions," Trump told Bolling. "Somebody like [former New Jersey Governor] Chris Christie, who's polling at 1 percent, and he's going to ask me nasty questions, and others, too."

"And then you have some that are very good, I mean, [South Carolina Senator] Tim Scott has been very nice," Trump continued. "And Ramaswamy has been very, very nice. So these are capable people, very good people."

Christie called Trump out over social media earlier this week after the former president took jabs at him over his weight during an event in New Hampshire, writing, "If you had the guts you would show up to the debate and say it to my face."

When asked about Christie's comment, Trump told Bolling, "it's not a question of guts, it's a question of intelligence."

"I'm going to make a decision," he continued. "I haven't, you know, totally ruled it out. I would love to do it in many ways, because I sort of enjoy that. But we'll let people know next week."

In order to qualify for official debates, the RNC requires that candidates poll at least 1 percent in three national polls; gather a minimum of 40,000 unique campaign donors with at least 200 coming from 20 or more states; and sign the candidate pledge.

According to USA Today, the seven candidates who have met the qualifications at the moment are: Trump; Florida Governor Ron DeSantis; Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley; Ramaswamy; Christie; Scott; and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum.

Newsweek emailed Trump's campaign Wednesday night for comment.

Update 08/09/23, 9:20 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional information and background.