Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis are in a slap fight over which networks get to hold GOP presidential primary debates, and the result is that the debates might not happen at all.
From the party that brought the nation the 15-ballot vote for the next Speaker of the House comes a Republican Party that can’t agree on where to hold its presidential primary debates.
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ rage against CNN and MSNBC — along with former President Trump’s polling lead and distrust of Fox News — has created a deadlock over who will host the rest of the 2024 GOP presidential debates and uncertainty over whether they’ll happen at all.
Trump’s campaign believes his opponents need the primary debates more than he does because they’re behind him in polls. And Trump — feeling slighted by Fox News’ coverage of DeSantis, has indicated that he’s wary of the network hosting debates, two sources told Axios.
DeSantis, running second in GOP polling, has been pushing back against the Republican National Committee sanctioning a debate with CNN or NBC News, which are both salivating over the chance to host a 2024 primary debate, sources told Axios.
Because Trump gutted the RNC leadership and replaced them with himself, the result is chaos.