Rove on Trump Debate Participation: ‘I’d Show Up if I Were Him’

Thursday, during an appearance on FNC’s “America’s Newsroom,” network contributor Karl Rove urged former President Donald Trump to participate in the upcoming first presidential primary debate.

Rove argued Trump’s participation would demonstrate he was a “leader” of the GOP primary field.

“I would, even though there’s, you know, look, there are dangers,” he said. “I mean, he will be, you know, he if he shows up, he will be attacked by everybody in one way, shape or form. Some of them will be hard and direct. You know, Chris Christie. Some of them will be, you know, glancing blows. Some will be trying to move around him. But I’d show up if I were him because this is this is where you get to demonstrate, ‘I am the leader, and I will remain the leader.'”

If he doesn’t show up, there are going to be people who say to themselves, well, you know, we have to hear, ‘Didn’t he tell us? Didn’t he mock Joe Biden for not debating? And hasn’t he said he’s the world’s greatest debater, and maybe there’s something that he doesn’t, won’t want to talk about,’ and doubts will begin to grow,” Rove added. “Doubts are growing. We’ve now got, but depending on what poll you look at, a plurality or a majority of Republicans who say that if he’s convicted of something in one of these federal suits, one of these four lawsuits, four indictments, excuse me, they’re not going to vote for him. So he’s got to find ways to assuage those growing concerns. And the best way to do it is to show up on August 23 and September 27.”

(h/t Mediaite)

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