Trump suggested he won't attend a GOP presidential debate because the venue's board chair publishes the Washington Post. But he took part in the same debate in 2015.
Chip Somodevilla, FREDERIC J. BROWN/Getty Images
- Donald Trump suggested he might not attend a GOP presidential debate at the Reagan Library.
- On Truth Social, Trump criticized the venue's board chair, who publishes the Washington Post.
- But, Trump participated in a debate at the same location, with the same board chair, back in 2015.
Former President Donald Trump suggested he might not attend the second GOP presidential debate because the venue's board chair publishes the Washington Post — but he took part in a debate at the same venue in 2015.
Trump, who is running for the 2024 Republican nomination, posted on Truth Social on Tuesday, "The Second Debate is being held at the Reagan Library, the Chairman of which is, amazingly, Fred Ryan, Publisher of The Washington Post. NO!"
"When you're leading by seemingly insurmountable numbers, and you have hostile Networks with angry, TRUMP & MAGA hating anchors asking the "questions," why subject yourself to being libeled and abused?" he added.
Trump also questioned why "nobody got [his] approval" before the Republican National Committee announced the debate's location at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.
And in another post, Trump said Reagan himself "would not approve" of Frederick Ryan Jr.'s role as the board chair of the Reagan Library, a position he has held since 1995. Ryan is also the publisher and CEO of the Washington Post, an outlet Trump has previously criticized.
But, despite his misgivings about Ryan's role on the board, Trump did participate in a previous GOP presidential debate at the Reagan Library in 2015. And at that time, Ryan was already serving as the Post's publisher and CEO, according to the Washington Post.
It's unclear if Trump actually plans to skip the Reagan Library debate, the date of which has not yet been announced. But, Trump has skipped debates in the past — in 2016, he missed a debate moderated by Fox News' Megyn Kelly, and in 2020, a debate with Joe Biden was canceled after Trump refused to agree to COVID-19 protocols, The Mercury News reported.
Trump's campaign did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.