Karl Rove said on Fox News Thursday that Donald Trump should join the Aug. 23 Republican debate to prove he’s in charge. (Watch the video below.)
Rove said doubts are growing over Trump’s viability as a 2024 presidential candidate, despite his massive lead in the polls. So, a strong showing against the likes of Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy and his most vocal critic, Chris Christie, would have a strong upside, he suggested.
Rove, a political contributor for the conservative channel and longtime GOP adviser, acknowledged the danger for Trump of being attacked directly and indirectly by his opponents, some of whom might mention his four felony indictments.
“But I’d show up if I were him because this is this is where you get to demonstrate ‘I am the leader and I will remain the leader,’” Rove said.
“Maybe there’s something that he doesn’t, won’t want to talk about, and doubts will begin to grow. Doubts are growing,” continued Rove, a former deputy chief of staff for President George W. Bush.
A majority of Americans said they would not vote for the former president, according to a poll before he was indicted on racketeering charges in Georgia. The survey indicated that 53% would “definitely not” vote for him if he were the GOP nominee in November, with an additional 11% saying they would “probably not” vote for him. An early August poll indicated that 52% of Republicans wouldn’t vote for Trump if he were in prison on Election Day.
Democratic presidential long shot Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has called Trump the “most devastating debater probably since Abraham Lincoln.”
But Trump on Thursday appeared to close the door on showing up for the first debate in Milwaukee, writing: “People know my Record, one of the BEST EVER, so why would I Debate?”
Fast-forward to 9:15 for Rove’s debate remarks: