Pence says he hopes Trump will show up to GOP debate

Former Vice President Mike Pence said Sunday he hopes former President Trump will end up joining the upcoming Republican presidential primary debate after reports last week indicated Trump plans to skip it.

“I served alongside the president for a long time and one thing I realized about him is it’s not until it’s over,” Pence said in an interview with ABC’s “This Week,” co-anchor Jonathan Karl. “So I’m actually still hoping he shows up, you know, to get on that plane and Trump Force One and head up and out on that stage.” 

Trump made the decision that he will skip the debate and instead sit for an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, according to a report from The New York Times. The reported move comes after weeks of speculation after Trump claimed he did not need to debate due to his strong lead in the GOP primary polls. 

“I think every one of us that have qualified for that debate stage ought to be on the stage, be willing to square off, answer the tough questions and also draw a bright lie contrast,” Pence said. 

Pence, along with multiple of the GOP presidential candidates, have called on Trump in recent weeks to participate in the debate.

“My differences with the former president go far beyond that traffic day, in January, two and a half years ago, as I’ve said many times, I mean now, I see the president and others on the stage walking away from America’s leadership in the world, our role as the arsenal of democracy,” Pence said. 

Trump has met the qualifications to participate in the first debate except he has not signed the required loyalty pledge by the Republican National Committee (RNC) to support whoever the eventual nominee is.

Seven other Republican presidential candidates have qualified for the debate including, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, former Vice President Mike Pence and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

The debate will take place Wednesday night in Milwaukee.