Campaign

Trump calls to ‘revamp the RNC’ if GOP debates go ahead

by Caroline Vakil - 11/20/23 4:53 PM ET

Former President Trump is calling to “revamp” the Republican National Committee (RNC) if the group proceeds with its primary debates, which Trump has repeatedly spurned.

“GREAT POLLS JUST RELEASED – BEST EVER! Harvard/Harris TRUMP 67%, DeSanctimonious 9%, Birdbrain 8%, Ramaswamy 5%, Christie – dead in the water, a total loser! TRUMP UP 7% to 10% on CROOKED JOE BIDEN,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, using nicknames to deride fellow candidates Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley.

Trump touted the polling results of a Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll survey, which showed 67 percent of GOP voters saying they would back the former president in the Republican presidential primary, compared to 9 percent for DeSantis and 8 percent for Haley.

Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy received 5 percent while former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie received 3 percent.

The poll also showed Trump leading President Biden in a hypothetical two-way match-up 48 percent to 41 percent.

Trump warned that the “RNC must save money on lowest ever ratings debates,” while pushing baseless accusations that the 2020 election was stolen. “If not, REVAMP THE RNC, NOW!!”

The Hill has reached out to the RNC for comment.

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Trump’s campaign has previously pushed the RNC to stop holding presidential primary debates. Trump campaign adviser Chris LaCivita said in a statement in September that the “RNC should immediately put an end to any further primary debates so we can train our fire on Crooked Joe Biden and quit wasting time and money that could be going to evicting Biden from the White House.”

Trump has skipped each of the previous three GOP debates, holding counterprogramming events instead as polling has shown him widely leading the primary field in both national and early state polling. The 2024 election increasingly looks like a rematch between Trump and Biden.

Tags Chris Christie Chris LaCivita Joe Biden Nikki Haley Ron DeSantis Vivek Ramaswamy