According to Mediate, former campaign adviser to Donald Trump, Jason Osborne, has speculated on the possibility that the former president might surrender to authorities in Georgia during the first Republican presidential debate scheduled on Wednesday. This comes after Trump was indicted in Fulton County over his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in the state. He is required to turn himself in for booking by Friday, August 25, just two days after the debate on Fox News, an event he appears likely to skip due to his perception that the network is “hostile” towards him.
CNN’s Kaitlan Collins engaged in a discussion on this matter with Jason Osborne and Ashley Allison, a former staffer from the Obama administration. Collins mentioned the uncertainty surrounding Trump’s attendance at the debate and the challenges this poses for the other candidates who must prepare for both scenarios.
Allison emphasized the importance of the candidates having a clear vision for their presidential goals, regardless of Trump’s participation. She suggested that candidates should confidently express whether they believe Trump was wrong in his actions, regardless of his presence on the debate stage.
Osborne agreed with Allison’s sentiment and then proposed an intriguing but speculative idea. He posited that there is a 30% chance that Trump could choose to turn himself in to authorities either right before or during the debate. Osborne speculated that such a move would “suck all the oxygen out of the room” and put Fox News in a difficult position, as they would be airing the debate while other networks could focus on the breaking news of Trump’s surrender. He even mentioned the possibility of Tucker Carlson being on hand to interview Trump outside the courthouse.
Collins interjected by noting that the Fulton County jail operates 24 hours a day, implying that Trump could surrender at any time. The context of Trump facing indictments in multiple jurisdictions, including federal cases, underscores the complexity of the situation and its potential impact on the political landscape.
Donald Trump right now, is not expected to show up,” Collins said of the debate. “He has until Monday at nine o’clock to make that official, I guess. Candidates are kind of having to prepare. Does he show up? Does he not? They’re kind of prepping for two different debates, potentially.”
“I don’t think they should be, though,” Allison said. “I think you should be very clear in your vision of what you want to do as president, regardless of Donald Trump. And that has to be, ‘I’m either going to say Donald Trump was wrong,’ and be very clear whether he’s on the debate stage or not.”
“I agree,” Osborne said, before floating a wild idea. “I’m [at] about a 30% chance this is going to happen, but I think Donald Trump is gonna turn himself in either right before the debate or during the debate, which will suck all the oxygen out of the room. And then Fox is stuck having to air the debate, whereas you and other networks are able to say, ‘Wait a minute, Donald Trump has actually just turned himself in.’ And then there’s Tucker Carlson waiting on the steps of the courthouse able to interview him right there.”
