Former President Donald Trump is set to skip the second Republican primary debate, in California on Sept. 27. He will instead deliver a speech in front of union workers amid a major auto strike, according to a senior adviser.
His prime-time remarks will serve as a contrast to the September 27 debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.
The announcement came as the United Auto Workers’ strike has entered its fourth day.
“The auto workers are being sold down the river by their leadership, and their leadership should endorse Trump,” the former president told NBC News in an interview last week.
EXCLUSIVE: Ahead of the UAW strike, Kristen Welker asked fmr. Pres. Trump whose side he’s on in negotiations.
Trump: “I’m on the side of making our country great. … The auto workers are being sold down the river by their leadership, and their leadership should endorse Trump.” pic.twitter.com/a8UDVvwFm5
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) September 15, 2023
“Every fiber of our union is being poured into fighting the billionaire class and an economy that enriches people like Donald Trump at the expense of workers,” UAW President Shawn Fain said in an emailed statement. “We can’t keep electing billionaires and millionaires that don’t have any understanding what it is like to live paycheck to paycheck and struggle to get by and expecting them to solve the problems of the working class.”
Trump, who maintains a large lead in national and early-state primary polls, also skipped the first GOP primary debate in Milwaukee.
The third debate is scheduled to take place in Miami in November. The former president told former Fox News host Megyn Kelly last week that while he would participate in debates with Biden, he is unlikely to debate his GOP rivals.
“I don’t see it,” Trump said. “Why would I do it?”
See the interview everyone’s talking about for yourself… without leaving X.
Donald Trump. @MegynKelly. The FULL episode: pic.twitter.com/PnMAELkGfh
— The Megyn Kelly Show (@MegynKellyShow) September 16, 2023
A new poll by CBS News published on Sunday shows former US President Donald Trump beating President Biden in 2024.
Source: CNN, ABC News, CBS News, AP News