# Republican primary debates

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-primary-debates/986556>\
**Category:** Politics & Elections\
**Created:** [July 4, 2023, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-primary-debates/986556 "2023-07-04T13:07:20Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\
**Post date:** [July 4, 2023, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-primary-debates/986556/21 "2023-07-04T21:06:30Z")

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> [@dtilque](#):
>
> There’s the possibility that only two candidates (Trump and DeSantis) will qualify for the first debate.

My city is hosting that debate (and the convention next year). As much as I really, really don’t want Trump to be here, it would be funny if they were the only two in the debate and the moderator considers Trump not showing up to be a forfeit and declares DeSantis the winner by default.  
I’d love to see Trump spin out of control trying to explain that HE should be the default winner because he’s X points ahead and would have won anyway, ya know, because of his superior debating skills.

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**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\
**Post date:** [July 4, 2023, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-primary-debates/986556/22 "2023-07-04T21:09:06Z")

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> [@Joey\_P](#):
>
> t would be funny if they were the only two in the debate and the moderator considers Trump not showing up to be a forfeit and declares DeSantis the winner by default.

That will never happen. If Trump doesn’t show, the “debate” just gets postponed with either a stupid explanation or no explanation at all.

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**Author:** ![MikeF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\
**Post date:** [July 6, 2023, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-primary-debates/986556/23 "2023-07-06T01:29:47Z")

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_I’m_ not saying that. I’m saying many or most Republicans would say that. Like. the opposite of a “Never Trumper”. A “Never a Dem” or some such.

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**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\
**Post date:** [July 6, 2023, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-primary-debates/986556/24 "2023-07-06T02:13:20Z")

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Really doubt it. The RNC Chair is Ronna McDaniel, a fervent Trumpette who’s carried his water for years.

She certainly doesn’t want a debate. She knows what could happen. She wants a coronation.

If for some reason there _has_ to be a debate, she wants a large crowd that Trump can browbeat, just like in 2016. And she wants them all to grovel by kneeling and pledging fealty to the King. The more the better.

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**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\
**Post date:** [July 6, 2023, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-primary-debates/986556/25 "2023-07-06T03:20:37Z")

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> [@MikeF](#):
>
> _I’m_ not saying that. I’m saying many or most Republicans would say that. Like. the opposite of a “Never Trumper”. A “Never a Dem” or some such.

Understood. I don’t understand why this doesn’t cause a disruptive paradox that, I dunno, makes the universe implode or something.

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