According to an exclusive DailyMail.com poll, the vast majority of Republicans believed former President Donald Trump was right in staying away from Wednesday night’s first presidential debate.
A whopping 71 percent said they made the right call. Only 22 percent disagreed.
Instead of joining eight other candidates on stage, Trump taped an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson and still managed to dominate the headlines.
JL Partners co-founder James Johnson who conducted the poll said the former president could claim a victory.
Nearly three in four Republicans think he was right to stay out, demonstrating his grip on the Republican primary. For many, the former president can do no wrong,” he said.
JL Partners conducted an online survey of 504 registered Republicans who watched Wednesday’s debate. The results come with a margin of error of 4.4 percent
Former President Donald Trump instead recorded an interview with Tucker Carlson at his Bedminster golf course in New Jersey. It aired on Wednesday during the debate
And without a clear winner of the debate, there is no consensus on who should be the leading candidate to run against Trump.
“The longer it stays that way, the more likely Trump will repeat his trick in 2016 and sail to victory with shared opponents.”
The former president clapped eight other candidates on stage in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His aides said they are actually competing for the post of vice president in a Trump administration.
Overall, Republican viewers voted biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy the narrow winner. About 28 percent of the 504 polled said he performed the best, beating Florida Governor Ron DeSantis by one percentage point.
When asked who won the night overall and given the option to vote for Trump, Ramaswamy still came out on top with 22 percent. But the former president took second place with 21 percent.
He has a huge lead over his rivals for the nomination. Polls consistently give him a lead of 30 points or more.
With that kind of advantage, aides said there was little point in taking the stage with candidates voting in the single digits.
“Should I sit there for an hour or two, whatever it will be, and be harassed by people who shouldn’t even be running for president? Should I do that with a network that isn’t exactly friendly to me?’ Trump said to Carlson.
The first debate was hosted by Fox News. Trump has been firing his way ever since he called Arizona for Joe Biden on election night.
Viewers thought biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy was the winner of the debate, leading Florida Governor Ron DeSantis by one percentage point in the DailyMail.com poll
Ramaswamy still came out on top when Donald Trump was added to the mix. He managed to dominate the headlines even by staying out of the debate
Ramaswamy was seen talking to reporters in the spin room immediately after the Milwaukee debate ended Wednesday night
And senior adviser Jason Miller said the decision was justified by the way Wednesday played out. The interview with Carlson was viewed more than 100 million times within hours of being posted.
“Ten times as many people watched the Tucker Carlson interview with President Trump than actually watched this pig herd,” he said in the spin room after the debate ended.
President Trump was right to stay away and let the other guys jump on. himself and his copies or faint echoes of the America First policy while President Trump was in the driver’s seat.”
His influence was clearly visible on stage anyway. The male candidates dressed in his uniform: a navy blue suit, white shirt and red tie.
And they were asked if they would keep their pledge to support the eventual 2024 nominee, even in the extraordinary circumstances of the nominee being a convicted criminal.
“If former President Trump were convicted in a court of law, would you still support him as your party’s choice?” asked Fox News host Brett Baier. “Please raise your hand if you wish.”
Ramaswamy, who is campaigning as a more competent version of Trump, shot his hand in the air.
Next to him, DeSantis slowed down, glanced at his rivals, and looked like he was making a political calculation as the crowd began to jeer.
It was all a reminder of Trump’s ability to cast a shadow over his rivals without even taking the stage.
In the interview, he also suggested that the country could see an increase in political violence after being asked by Carlson if the US was heading for conflict.
‘Don’t know. I can say this: there’s a level of passion I’ve never seen,” he said.
“There’s a level of hatred I’ve never seen. And that’s probably a bad combination.’
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