But Trump, the topic, should definitely make an appearance — along with the question of whether a president should be able to scheme to undermine the integrity of American elections
candidates for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination will assemble in Milwaukee for the campaign’s first televised debate. Conspicuous by his absence will be Donald Trump, the front-runner despite two impeachments, four indictments and a loss in the last election that he refused to recognize.
On Truth Social, Trump wrote: “The public knows who I am & what a successful Presidency I had . . .. I WILL THEREFORE NOT BE DOING THE DEBATES!”
Trump’s refusal to join the debate is a sign of his narcissism, but his absence is welcome. No one who has attempted to overturn the will of the voters deserves to be on a debate stage again. But while Trump the candidate may be missing, Trump the issue very much belongs in the debate.
It’s appropriate for the Republican candidates who do participate to answer questions about their positions on abortion, Ukraine and the federal deficit, but they need to be pressed on the urgent, overarching issue of whether a president should be able to scheme to undermine the integrity of American elections with impunity. Inextricably entwined in that question is a judgment on Trump’s past conduct and present unfitness.
