Former US president Donald Trump has said he will not sign a pledge to support the eventual nominee if he loses the Republican presidential primary.
His refusal to sign such a pledge directly flouts a requirement for appearing in the first Republican presidential primary debate later this month.
“Why would I sign it?” Mr Trump said in an interview on the conservative cable TV network Newsmax. “I can name three or four people that I wouldn’t support for president. So right there, there’s a problem.”
He declined to name the candidates he would not support, saying “there’s no reason to insult them”. But he singled out South Carolina senator Tim Scott and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy for praise, saying they “have been very nice”.
Mr Trump said he will announce next week whether he will participate in the debate, scheduled for August 23rd in Milwaukee, but his refusal to sign the pledge suggests he plans to make good on his threat to skip it.
Mr Trump has repeatedly questioned why he should debate his rivals given his substantial polling lead and has suggested he might hold a competing event instead.
On Wednesday, he pushed back against former New Jersey governor Chris Christie’s taunts, telling Newsmax’s Eric Bolling that there is no upside to participating in a debate when he is already leading by a wide margin.
“Its not a question of guts. It’s a question of intelligence,” Mr Trump said.
The way I grew up and the way I was raised, when a man has something to say to another man, you look him straight in the eyes and say it to his face.
A coward does the opposite.
I’ll be in Milwaukee if Trump’s got something to say. pic.twitter.com/yb8O4aH3c1— Chris Christie (@GovChristie) August 10, 2023
Eight candidates say they have met qualifications to be on stage in Milwaukee, with former vice president Mike Pence announcing this week he had secured enough donors.
Candidates need to satisfy polling and donor requirements set by the Republican National Committee: at least 1 per cent in three high-quality national polls or a mix of national and early-state polls, between July 1st and August 21st, and a minimum of 40,000 donors, with 200 in 20 or more states.
They must also sign a statement pledging not to participate in any debates not sanctioned by the party, including the general election debates sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates, and to support the winner of the Republican primary.
“I affirm that if I do not win the 2024 Republican nomination of President of the United States, I will honor the will of the primary voters and support the nominee in order to save our country and beat Joe Biden,” the pledge says, according to a copy posted by Florida governor Ron DeSantis to Twitter, the social media site now rebranded as X. Candidates must also pledge not to run as an independent, write-in candidate or third-party nominee.
The pledge has been criticised by some candidates including Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson, who has been fiercely critical of Mr Trump.
Only former Texas representative Will Hurd has said definitively that he will not sign the 2024 pledge, though he has not met the polling and fundraising thresholds required to attend. He said he will not support Mr Trump, who has been indicted three times, if he becomes the eventual nominee.
