Statement From Trump Campaign Senior Advisor Chris LaCivita
August 23, 2023
“President Trump has already won this evening’s debate because everything is going to be about him. Only President Trump has the policy ideas, the fortitude, and the polling to go head-to-head with Crooked Joe Biden in the general election. Republican voters recognize this, hence President Trump’s 62-16 lead in the GOP primary.
“You should also expect the Fox hosts to show an unnatural obsession with President Trump tonight, asking other Republican candidates over and over to react to President Trump’s policy positions. In fact, we will be tallying the number of times President Trump’s name is brought up, and his total ‘speaking time,’ even though he is not in attendance.
“When the other candidates do get a chance to speak, they will be a faint echo, or maybe even a copycat, of President Trump’s Make America Great Again agenda. That’s because President Trump’s first four years in office were the most consequential - and led to the best economy - in American history. Nobody at tonight’s gathering can match the big ideas and bold policy agenda President Trump has already laid out in the run-up to 2024, including details on how he will reduce inflation, unleash American energy, seal the Border and destroy the drug cartels, clean up our crime-ridden cities, and stop the killing in Ukraine.
“In fact, tonight’s Republican undercard event really shouldn’t even be called a debate, but rather an audition to be a part of President Trump’s team in his second term.”