Sunday shows preview: Trump Georgia charges cast shadow on debate; Maui reels from deadly wildfires

Ahead of next week’s Republican presidential primary debate, former President Trump’s latest indictment in Georgia and his potential absence from the debate stage will likely dominate the Sunday talk show circuit this weekend.

Trump and 18 others were indicted by a Georgia grand jury on Monday, following a more than two-year investigation into efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in the Peach State.

Charged alongside the former president in the 41-count indictment were Trump lawyers Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman and Kenneth Chesebro, as well as former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and former Justice Department lawyer Jeffrey Clark, among others.

The Fulton County indictment is the fourth criminal case brought against Trump this year, following a Manhattan indictment over a 2016 hush money payment and two federal indictments over his handling of classified materials and his efforts to block the transfer of power after the 2020 election.

Despite his mounting legal woes, Trump remains the clear frontrunner for the Republican nomination. 

A new Emerson College poll showed the former president leading the crowded GOP field with 56 percent support, while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and conservative entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy were tied in second place with 10 percent each.

Given his dominant position in the polls, Trump has repeatedly toyed with the idea of skipping next week’s Republican primary debate in Milwaukee. 

Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, who is set to join Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures” this weekend, said on Thursday that she had not received a definitive yes or no on whether Trump would attend the debate.

“If he told me, he could still change his mind,” McDaniel added during the interview with NewsNation’s Blake Burman on “The Hill.”

However, the New York Times reported on Friday that the former president has decided to skip the debate and instead sit for an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

While Trump’s participation appears increasingly unlikely, the rest of the Republican candidates who have qualified appear keen to take the debate stage next Wednesday. 

Former Vice President Mike Pence, who will make an appearance on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday, said on Friday that he was hoping to debate his differences with Trump.

“I always stood loyally by Donald Trump until my oath to the Constitution required me to do otherwise. But my differences with the president go far beyond that fateful day,” Pence said at an event in Atlanta. “And I hope to have a chance to debate ‘em with him.”

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, both of whom have qualified for the debate, are also set to join NBC’s “Meet the Press” and “Fox News Sunday” this weekend, respectively.

The ongoing recovery efforts from the devastating wildfires in Maui will also likely be a major topic of discussion on the Sunday morning shows. The fast-moving wildfires tore across the island last week, killing at least 114 people and decimating the historic town of Lahaina. 

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green (D), who is set to join CBS’ “Face the Nation” this weekend, vowed on Friday night that the town will rise from the ashes.

“Lahaina will rise again,” Green said in an emotional address from Honolulu. “It will be a symbol of our resilience, our values and our sacred bonds of Ohana. When it is rebuilt, it will be a living memorial to the loved ones we have lost.”

Deanne Criswell, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), will also make the rounds on the Sunday shows this weekend to discuss the recovery efforts in Maui.

Below is the full list of guests scheduled to appear on this week’s Sunday talk shows:

ABC’s “This Week” — Former Vice President Mike Pence, a Republican presidential candidate; Deanne Criswell, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency

NBC’s “Meet the Press” — North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, a Republican presidential candidate; Gov. Tim Walz (D-Minn.)

CBS’ “Face the Nation” — Criswell; Hawaii Gov. Josh Green (D); Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass; Palm Springs Mayor Grace Garner; Scott Gottlieb, former Food and Drug Administration commissioner

CNN’s “State of the Union” — Criswell; Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.); Judge J. Michael Luttig; Laurence Tribe, professor emeritus at Harvard University; former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R); former Obama White House official David Axelrod

“Fox News Sunday” — Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, a Republican presidential candidate; Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R)

Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures” — Reps. James Comer (R-Ky.) and Marjorie Taylor Green (R-Ga.); Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel; Stephen Miller, president of America First Legal; Robert Lighthizer, former U.S. Trade Representative