Donald Trump likely to miss first Republican debate for US polls 2024; Ron DeSantis to be top target now
Donald Trump is likely to skip first Republican debate on August 23 in Milwaukee, And in such a situation, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who desperately needs momentum in his challenge to former US President for the party's nomination, would be the top target of the debate from other candidates looking to climb past him and brand themselves as voters' primary alternative to Trump. "The guy on the stage in the No. 1 spot is probably going to be taking more heat than the others," a strategist told Reuters.
In the most recent Reuters/Ipsos poll, released last week, Trump held 47% of the Republican vote nationally, with DeSantis dropping 6 percentage points from July down to just 13%. None of the other candidates due to attend the debate have broken out of single digits. Meanwhile, Trump's lawyers urged a federal judge on Monday to reject a protective order sought by prosecutors ahead of the former U.S.
president's 2020 election trial, saying it would violate his free speech rights under the Constitution. Prosecutors requested a protective order to prevent Trump from improperly disclosing confidential evidence prior to trial. In response, Trump's attorneys submitted a 29-page filing to the U.S.
District Court, not directly addressing potential witness intimidation claims, another Reuters report cited. They, however, did acknowledge the need to shield certain court documents, including materials from a grand jury investigation that led to an indictment accusing Trump of plotting to overturn his 2020 election loss. "However, the need to protect that information does not require a blanket gag order over all documents produced by the government," Trump's attorneys wrote in the court papers.
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