# Trump to skip debate **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [January 27, 2016, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-to-skip-debate/744323 "2016-01-27T00:36:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2016, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-to-skip-debate/744323/121 "2016-01-27T21:16:17Z")
If there is a How-To-Run-For-President manual, Trump chewed it up, crapped it out and flushed it down a long time ago. He is running in a way we’ve never seen. This is part of his strategy. We’re on page 3 of a topic that’s all about him skipping the debate for crying out loud. As someone noted above, CNN is running all Trump all day. So are other news outlets. Do you really think he’s afraid of Fox News or Megyn Kelly? Really? Of course not. This is his play. Grabbing the spotlight, yet again. This debate will have the lowest ratings yet of Republican candidate debates and Trump will crow all about it. He will win the debate without even showing up. ---
**Author:** ![lusvig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/57b2e6/32.png) [@lusvig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lusvig)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2016, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-to-skip-debate/744323/122 "2016-01-27T21:24:08Z")
lol get fucking rekt trump rand paul’s where it’s at ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2016, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-to-skip-debate/744323/123 "2016-01-27T21:36:23Z")
> [@lusvig](#): > > lol get fucking rekt trump rand paul’s where it’s at Even Rand’s own dad thinks the Donald is going to win. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2016, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-to-skip-debate/744323/124 "2016-01-27T21:38:04Z")
> [@lusvig](#): > > lol get fucking rekt trump rand paul’s where it’s at Where Rand Paul is at is 2%. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2016, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-to-skip-debate/744323/125 "2016-01-27T21:41:05Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > If there is a How-To-Run-For-President manual, Trump chewed it up, crapped it out and flushed it down a long time ago. He is running in a way we’ve never seen. This is part of his strategy. We’re on page 3 of a topic that’s all about him skipping the debate for crying out loud. As someone noted above, CNN is running all Trump all day. So are other news outlets. > > Do you really think he’s afraid of Fox News or Megyn Kelly? Really? Of course not. This is his play. Grabbing the spotlight, yet again. This debate will have the lowest ratings yet of Republican candidate debates and Trump will crow all about it. He will win the debate without even showing up. Nail on the head, though he may not have been that thoughtful about it. I honestly think he just thinks he doesn’t need the debate, doesn’t want to bother with it, and it feels good to be able to effectively moon the entire system. This won’t hurt him in the slightest in primary/caucus season. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2016, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-to-skip-debate/744323/126 "2016-01-27T22:35:36Z")
> [@Bone](#): > > I don’t rule it out as one of the motivating factors … Right, that’s all I’m saying. How his emotional need to be vindictive stacks up against hard-nosed strategic assessment of his election strategy is something we can speculate about all day, but in the end, none of us can read his mind. We can, however, presume that his past history (vicious personal attacks, suing people, etc.) is a pretty good indication of how he thinks. > [@Bone](#): > > I can imagine Trump saying something like this to Fox - **Trump** : \*You know what, fuck you, that’s what. > \* > And the crowd goes wild. Is that vindictive or playing to his strengths? That depends. What “crowd”, exactly? So far the kind of crowd that goes wild over that kind of schoolyard bullying is the crowd of his slathering followers, and that’s not going to get him elected. And if it causes a large proportion of the general electorate to consider him an untrustworthy, over-the-top out-of-control buffoon who shouldn’t be allowed within a hundred miles of the nuclear button, then it’s bad strategy where vindictiveness has won out over rational thinking. > [@Bone](#): > > The reason why I call it fantasy is because you are inferring way beyond what is supportable. You’re trying to get in Trump’s head and concocted a fanciful narrative. Megyn Kelly banned for life from moderating debates. Megyn Kelly fired. Trump believing in special rules about the way the world works. Trump having a fragile ego. It would be amusing if you weren’t actually being earnest. Are you claiming that he _ **doesn’t** _ have a fragile ego? Because that would truly be amusing! Do I really have to dig up all the examples throughout his career? We’ve already talked about many. I recently skimmed an online article about Trump that was derived from a series of interviews with him that’s a good illustration of exactly what I’m talking about. Trump only agreed to it because the author’s research assistant had written flattering things about him in the past. During the interview Trump made various veiled threats about the consequences of writing not-nice things about him (he does this all the time!), saying at one point “I probably won’t sue you but nobody will read it” if he said anything critical. Most revealingly, when the author innocently mentioned to one of Trump’s assistants that he had been talking to a certain individual to get more background, and that individual turned out to be someone Trump didn’t like, Trump abruptly terminated the interviews as soon as he found out about it. This author is now _persona non grata_ anywhere around Trump. The man really does act like a very spoiled and hypersensitive six-year-old. > [@SlackerInc](#): > > I think it’s thin-skinned vindictiveness _and_ what he needs to do. He can’t be seen to get held up for ridicule by Fox and then still meekly come along to the debate, or go and whine about it while standing on their stage and boosting their ratings. That’s the kind of thing that Jeb does, which causes him to look like a beta male, or an omega really. > > To put it another way, it may be true that Trump would have been better off, and preferred it, if Fox had not sent those tweets, and Trump went to the debate. But once they did tweet that ridicule about him, he really had no choice but to walk away. Except you have the order of things backwards. AFAIK, Fox started the retaliatory tweets _ **after** _ Trump had declined to attend the debate. I acknowledge there’s no love lost between Roger Ailes and Trump, but they didn’t initiate this. > [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > If there is a How-To-Run-For-President manual, Trump chewed it up, crapped it out and flushed it down a long time ago. He is running in a way we’ve never seen. This is part of his strategy. We’re on page 3 of a topic that’s all about him skipping the debate for crying out loud. As someone noted above, CNN is running all Trump all day. So are other news outlets. Sure, but again, that doesn’t necessarily translate to votes. Here I am writing about Trump, too. The man is fascinating. But he’s also a joke. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2016, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-to-skip-debate/744323/127 "2016-01-27T22:43:55Z")
It is kinda hopeless to try to reason out the motives of a man who is immune to reason. ---
**Author:** ![ElderSign](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eldersign/32/8263_2.png) [@ElderSign](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElderSign)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2016, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-to-skip-debate/744323/128 "2016-01-27T23:07:43Z")
It was a win/win calculated move, as all of the exposure he gets only increases his polling stats. The man is an entertainment guru like Vince McMahon in the world of pro wrestling. He received more free coverage and was the #1 story today than if he would have just showed up Thursday with no controversy. His followers love this stuff, and so do the media, and he believes that any publicity is good publicity. I have never seen a presidential candidate work the media and laymen so obviously before. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2016, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-to-skip-debate/744323/129 "2016-01-27T23:37:36Z")
The thing you are failing to grasp, wolfpup, is that Trump is a brand as well as a person. That is his business nowadays. Saying he has a “fragile ego” is akin to saying Disney has a fragile ego. He will attack if his awesome winner personae is attacked publicly. That is not (necessarily) the same as him not taking a jab in person. ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2016, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-to-skip-debate/744323/130 "2016-01-27T23:41:16Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Right, that’s all I’m saying. How his emotional need to be vindictive stacks up against hard-nosed strategic assessment of his election strategy is something we can speculate about all day, but in the end, none of us can read his mind. We can, however, presume that his past history (vicious personal attacks, suing people, etc.) is a pretty good indication of how he thinks. You’re referring to his past history of being a successful businessman, succeeding in areas he endeavored to pursue, and making a shit ton of money in the process? > [@](#): > > That depends. What “crowd”, exactly? So far the kind of crowd that goes wild over that kind of schoolyard bullying is the crowd of his slathering followers, and that’s not going to get him elected. And if it causes a large proportion of the general electorate to consider him an untrustworthy, over-the-top out-of-control buffoon who shouldn’t be allowed within a hundred miles of the nuclear button, then it’s bad strategy where vindictiveness has won out over rational thinking. Sure - that’s what the election will be all about. The strategy of wide appeal is not what he is adopting, clearly. I’m not sure this is what he’s doing, but I kind of get the impression he thinks he can capture enough votes by energizing certain demographics, while antagonizing the rest, or perhaps by antagonizing the rest. > [@](#): > > Are you claiming that he _ **doesn’t** _ have a fragile ego? Because that would truly be amusing! Do I really have to dig up all the examples throughout his career? We’ve already talked about many. You’ll have to define how you are using the term “fragile”. He is certainly reactive. But I don’t think he is crippled or overwhelmed by concerns of his ego. Does lashing out constitute fragility, or hostility, or something else? In any event, I don’t think it much matters. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2016, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-to-skip-debate/744323/131 "2016-01-27T23:43:36Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > Except you have the order of things backwards. AFAIK, Fox started the retaliatory tweets _ **after** _ Trump had declined to attend the debate. AFAIK, that’s incorrect. My understanding of the timeline is as follows: (1) Trump tweeted for his followers to “vote” as to whether he should attend the debate with Kelly on the panel. AIUI, this vote was pretty close even after the later tweets by FOX. (I think he was still going to generously bestow his presence upon them if they kept mum in response to this, just as in the past.) (2) Then FOX taunted him. The Guardian [picks up the story](http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2016/jan/26/us-presidential-campaign-live-iowa-donald-trump-hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders-ted-cruz) there: > [@](#): > > The press release that irked Trump and led to his withdrawal read, “We learned from a secret back channel that the Ayatollah and Putin both intend to treat Donald Trump unfairly when they meet with him if he becomes president - a nefarious source tells us that Trump has his own secret plan to replace the Cabinet with his Twitter followers to see if he should even go to those meetings.” > > Trump derided it as “a wise guy press release … done by some PR person along with Roger Ailes.” After seeing the release, “I said bye bye” to the debate, Trump said. ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2016, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-to-skip-debate/744323/132 "2016-01-28T00:27:23Z")
So the tabloid carnival barker who controls the media is now a victim of the media?? Whatever. I still say he tweets he’s quitting during the debate. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2016, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-to-skip-debate/744323/133 "2016-01-28T00:29:32Z")
> [@Locrian](#): > > So the tabloid carnival barker who controls the media is now a victim of the media?? Whatever. I still say he tweets he’s quitting during the debate. 😃 Yes, it is clear the high-placed cabals which run the conservative media complex in this country have decided that TRUMP is too much of a threat for daring to speak in favour of Social Security and against free trade. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2016, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-to-skip-debate/744323/134 "2016-01-28T00:32:36Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Yes, it is clear the high-placed cabals which run the conservative media complex in this country have decided that TRUMP is too much of a threat for daring to speak in favour of Social Security and against free trade. What happened to you, man? ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2016, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-to-skip-debate/744323/135 "2016-01-28T00:34:46Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > What happened to you, man? Same thing that “happened” to Churchill after June 22nd, 1941. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2016, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-to-skip-debate/744323/136 "2016-01-28T00:45:57Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Same thing that “happened” to Churchill after June 22nd, 1941. This is exactly as nonsensical as your “Exactly what it says on the tin” answer to my question about the meaning of “kuckservative”. What in the world are you talking about? ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2016, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-to-skip-debate/744323/137 "2016-01-28T00:48:03Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > This is exactly as nonsensical as your “Exactly what it says on the tin” answer to my question about the meaning of “kuckservative”. What in the world are you talking about? I mean that in this scenario regardless of what one thinks of our friend the Donald, he is the lesser evil in the battle to destroy the hold of fusionist conservatism in our country. To put it in very simple analogical terms Trump is Stalin and the Republican Establishment is the Third Reich. ---
**Author:** ![Andiethewestie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba9def/32.png) [@Andiethewestie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andiethewestie)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2016, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-to-skip-debate/744323/138 "2016-01-28T00:48:51Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > So? I didn’t deny it was hypocrisy - just said it’s low on the totem pole. Low maybe because it hasn’t had legs, but Fox is probably going to keep this thing going. Afterall Trump just didn’t run scared from Kelly, in essence he’s said NO to Murdoch/Ailes…they ain’t going quietly into that good night. Afterall this shitshow is more about ratings than it is caring about Americans. As long as people talk about the no show the more stability Megyn has in her job. ---
**Author:** ![Andiethewestie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba9def/32.png) [@Andiethewestie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andiethewestie)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2016, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-to-skip-debate/744323/139 "2016-01-28T01:03:40Z")
Now watch the dickwad pivot away from Veterans who don’t buy the bullshit > **[Veterans group to Trump: Keep your donations | CNN Politics](https://www.cnn.com/2016/01/27/politics/donald-trump-veterans-fox-news-debate/index.html?sr=twCNN012716donald-trump-veterans-fox-news-debate1120PMVODtopPhoto&linkId=20731123)** > > At least one veteran's group doesn't want any donations from Donald Trump's fundraiser for veterans. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2016, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-to-skip-debate/744323/140 "2016-01-28T01:29:13Z")
> [@Andiethewestie](#): > > Low maybe because it hasn’t had legs, Exactly my point. Sheesh. No one else is going to care and Trumpsters already have Fox on the enemies list. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-to-skip-debate/744323.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-to-skip-debate/744323.md?page=8)