Who expected this.
Former President Donald Trump took aim at his political adversaries on Friday night, emphasizing the need for Republican unity to confront what he termed the “inept” President Joe Biden in the forthcoming 2024 general election.
According to Newsmax, in a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump remarked, “The last debate was the lowest-rated debate in history. The upcoming one, likely the final debate in Miami, is poised to perform even worse. Republicans should set aside debates and unite to defeat what I consider the most ineffectual administration in the history of the United States. Let’s Make America Great Again!”
Before urging unity, Trump employed his signature style of criticizing his top GOP primary competitors, such as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley.
He began by saying, “Wow! Ron DeSanctimonious appears to have fallen to third place and is trending downward in his bid for the presidency. His stance on Social Security and Medicare hasn’t done him any favors. In the significant Emerson Poll, he’s fallen to 8%, trailing by 51 points behind his favorite president—myself.”
Trump continued his ridicule of Haley, referring to her as “Birdbrain.” He went on to say, “Birdbrain, who may be even worse, is competing with others for a distant second place.”
Trump has chosen to abstain from debates, refusing to provide his challengers with an opportunity to erode his substantial lead in the polls. Instead of participating in the Republican National Committee debate scheduled for November 8 in Miami, Trump has scheduled a rally in Hialeah, Florida, a community with a strong Cuban-American presence, situated approximately half an hour away from the location where his rivals will gather, the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County.
Hialeah is predominantly Hispanic, with over 95% of its residents identifying as Hispanic or Latino, according to the latest census data. A majority of them are of Cuban or Cuban American heritage and speak Spanish at home. The choice of location reflects the Republican Party’s aspiration to secure an increasing portion of the Hispanic vote in the 2024 elections. In the 2022 midterm elections, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, one of Trump’s rivals, achieved the remarkable feat of becoming the first Republican governor to win Miami-Dade County, which encompasses Hialeah, in two decades.
For Trump, a substantial turnout at his rally would underscore his dominance over DeSantis, who was initially seen as his most formidable competitor but is now struggling to maintain his second-place position.
The November debate will be hosted by NBC and requires candidates to meet specific criteria, including securing 4% support in multiple polls and garnering 70,000 unique donors to qualify.