Should Former President Donald Trump participate in the upcoming Republican primary debates?

GALLAGHER: If Chris Christie qualifies, I think that that will be the determining factor for Trump not to debate because if Christie is on a debate stage trying to just call trump a bunch of names, attack him personally, and do what Christie has been doing, that is such a distraction. We won’t hear anything about policy. We won’t hear anything about why any of those candidates should be the next President of the United States. In fact, President Trump hinted yesterday to Maria Bartiromo that he might not go to the debates.

BARTIROMO: “Will you be on that stage? Are you participating in the upcoming debate?”

TRUMP: “Well, you know, it’s quite an easy question normally. Ronald Reagan didn’t do it and a lot of other people didn’t do it. When you have a big lead, you don’t do it. We have a lead of 50 and 60 points in some cases, and some of these people are at zero. Ron DeSanctis, as I call him, or DeSanctimonious, is down to — he’s in the teens now, and I’m at 50 and 60 and 65, and even saw one today at 70. So you’re leading people by 50 and 60 points and you say, why would you be doing a debate? It’s actually not fair. Why would you let somebody that’s at zero or 1 or 2 or 3 be popping you with questions?”