Former President Donald Trump plans to skip the second Republican presidential primary debate, which is set to take place on September 27 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Trump’s campaign confirmed.
Instead of participating in the debate, Trump will travel to Detroit, Michigan, where he will deliver a speech to autoworkers during an ongoing union strike, CBS News reported.
During a recent interview with NBC News’ Kristen Welker, Trump asserted the United Auto Workers (UAW) union leadership was failing its members.
“The auto workers are being sold down the river by their leadership, and their leadership should endorse Trump,” the former president said.
UAW President Shawn Fain rejected Trump’s criticism.
“Every fiber of our union is being poured into fighting the billionaire class and an economy that enriches people like Donald Trump at the expense of workers,” Fain said in an emailed statement. “We can’t keep electing billionaires and millionaires that don’t have any understanding what it is like to live paycheck to paycheck and struggle to get by and expecting them to solve the problems of the working class.”
On Sunday, Trump posted about the UAW on his social media platform Truth Social, once again targeting union leadership and President Joe Biden.
“The United Autoworkers are being sold down the ‘drain’ with this all Electric Car SCAM. They’ll be made in China, under Crooked Joe’s CHINA FIRST POLICY,” Trump wrote. “AUTOWORKERS, VOTE FOR TRUMP – I’LL MAKE YOU VICTORIOUS & RICH. IF YOUR ‘LEADERS’ WON’T ENDORSE ME, VOTE THEM OUT OF OFFICE, NOW. WITH THE DEMOCRATS & CROOKED JOE CALLING THE SHOTS, YOU’LL BE JOBLESS & PENNILESS WITHIN 4 YEARS. REMEMBER, BIDEN IS A CROOK WHO HAS BEEN PAID MILLIONS OF DOLLARS BY CHINA, & OTHERS. He is a Manchurian Candidate!!!”
Trump’s plan to skip another GOP debate comes as the former president maintains a strong double-digit lead over his competition for the 2024 Republican nomination.
