Summary:
- Donald Trump announces he won't participate in Republican debates.
- CBS News poll reveals Trump's substantial lead over other challengers.
- Many GOP voters want debates to focus on candidate self-presentation, not attacking Trump.
- Republican National Committee's role in debate decisions.
- Charges against Trump in Georgia viewed by many as politically motivated.
- Legal troubles faced by Trump, including mishandling of classified documents.
- Calls for Trump to drop out of the race, supporters stand by him.
Donald Trump is saying he will not appear in the first Republican debate this week, and in fact, he may not appear in any of the debates during the Republican primary. The latest CBS News poll might help explain why. According to that poll, the former president has a gigantic lead over his challengers.
Our survey found 62 percent of likely primary voters support Donald Trump. Governor Ron DeSantis is second, just 16 percent in his column, others in single digits. Robert Costa is tracking the race for us. Bob, good morning.
Good morning, Tony. The former president did confirm in a social media post last night he plans to skip the debates and may have some counter-programming planned for Wednesday. He has pre-recorded an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, and that could run while his opponents are squaring off. If I had his record, I'd be nervous about showing up too. Republican hopefuls taking aim as the debate stage is taking shape. Without former President Trump. I think you owe it to the people to put out your vision, to talk about your record.
But new CBS News polling shows the overwhelming majority of GOP voters want the debate to be about candidates making the case for themselves, opposed to taking on Trump. The Republican National Committee will have the final say. At least seven candidates have officially qualified, with others claiming they've hit the thresholds. Before Trump posted he won't be taking part in the debates, RNC officials on Sunday were pressing for him to attend. I'm still holding out hope that President Trump will come. Meanwhile, in Georgia, Trump and 18 co-defendants face a Friday deadline to surrender on charges of trying to overturn the 2020 election. But the CBS News poll shows the overwhelming concern of Republican primary voters is that they believe that Georgia charges are politically motivated.
In federal court, Trump has been indicted for allegedly mishandling classified documents after leaving office. I was never made aware of any broad-based effort to declassify documents. In an ABC News report not verified by CBS News, Trump's former chief of staff, Mark Meadows, allegedly told special counsel Jack Smith, he could not recall Trump ever declassifying broad sets of documents before leaving the White House. Despite Trump claiming he had done so. I think the charge that seems most likely, I mean seems almost a slam dunk, is the one related to mishandling of classified documents. Republican Senator Bill Cassidy is now calling for Trump to drop out of the race. I think Joe Biden needs to be replaced, but I don't think Americans will vote for someone who's been convicted.
Trump has pleaded not guilty in the documents case and denies any wrongdoing in the Georgia case, and his supporters believe him. In the latest CBS News poll, when Trump voters were asked about their source of true information, they ranked the former president above family and friends and even religious leaders. Another sign of how tough it is for his rivals to say to them, hey, give us a chance. Gail. That message is not getting through, it seems. Thank you, Bob.