Former President Donald Trump appears set to miss a gathering of Christian conservative voters in Iowa being hosted by former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
Mr. Carlson is set to guest moderate the “Principle over Politics” summit on Friday in Des Moines. The summit is being co-hosted by the Family Leader and The Blaze and will feature the first presidential forum of the 2024 Republican Primary season.
Among those set to attend the summit are Republican 2024 presidential candidates like former Vice President Mike Pence, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy.
On Tuesday, president and CEO of The Family Leader Bob Vander Plaats announced that Mr. Trump had declined the opportunity to participate in the summit.
“I learned last night that [Mr. Trump] will NOT attend our Leadership Summit this Friday,” Mr. Vander Plaats wrote on Twitter. “Thus, our lineup is set: [Mr. Scott], [Mr. Hutchinson], [Mr. Pence], [Ms. Haley], [Mr. Ramaswamy] and [Mr. DeSantis] will have visionary, one on one, discussion with [Mr. Carlson]. #FLS23 #ChooseWell2024.”
The Family Leader has indicated it had also invited President Joe Biden and one of his Democratic challengers, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., but neither Democratic presidential candidate has confirmed his attendance at the summit.
In an emailed statement, Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung explained that Trump’s absence is due to a scheduling conflict.
“President Trump was in Iowa last week and will be back next week,” Mr. Cheung wrote. “Unfortunately there is a scheduling conflict and the President will be in Florida this weekend headlining the premier national young voter conference with Turning Point Action while DeSantis is nowhere to be found.”
The Turning Point Action conference is set to run on July 15 and 16 in West Palm Beach. The conference will also feature appearances from Mr. Carlson, Mr. Ramaswamy, Mr. Hutchinson and another 2024 Republican presidential candidate, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez; however, Mr. DeSantis won’t be in attendance.
Trump Criticized Iowa Governor’s 2024 ‘Neutrality’
Mr. Trump’s announcement that he would not to attend The Family Leadership summit came a day after the former president criticized Republican Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds for saying she would remain neutral on the 2024 Republican primary race.
“I love Iowa, protected & expanded Ethanol, got 28 Billion Dollars from China for our great Farmers, ended the Estate (Death!) Tax on farms, made the best TRADE deals in history (USMCA, China, & many more), introduced the World to our FARMERS, & kept Iowa’s ‘First in the Nation’ status,” Mr. Trump wrote in a Monday post on his Truth social media account. “I opened up the Governor position for Kim Reynolds, & when she fell behind, I ENDORSED her, did big Rallies, & she won. Now, she wants to remain ‘NEUTRAL.’ I don’t invite her to events! DeSanctus down 45 points!”
Mr. Vander Plaats pushed back against Mr. Trump’s comments about the Iowa governor, writing on Twitter, “Going after Iowa’s very popular Governor @IAGovernor is not smart. Iowa’s open.”
It’s unclear to what extent, if any, this series of social media exchanges contributed to Mr. Trump’s decision not to attend Mr. Vander Plaats’s event in Iowa.
Iowa is an important state in the primary election process because it’s one of the earliest primary contests and can provide early momentum to successful candidates. The opportunity for Mr. Trump’s primary opponents to be interviewed by Mr. Carlson, a popular conservative political commentator, could help them gain traction with conservative Iowa voters.
Future Republican Events
In addition to missing the “Principle over Politics” summit this week, Mr. Trump has indicated he may also skip the first Republican presidential debate next month in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
In February, the Republican National Committee also required a loyalty pledge in order for Republican 2024 candidates to qualify for the first primary debate. At the time, Mr. Trump expressed skepticism of a pledge requiring him to commit to supporting the eventual Republican nominee if he didn’t win the nomination. Mr. Trump said his loyalty commitment “would have to depend on who the nominee was.”
Mr. Trump went further, criticizing the network hosting and moderating the first RNC debate, Fox News. In a June 26 Truth Social post, Mr. Trump suggested Fox News wants him to attend the debate to draw ratings, but that he doesn’t see a need with his current polling lead.
“So FoxNews, which is down 37% in the Ratings, doesn’t cover my getting the ‘Man of the Decade’ Award (because of my great trade policies!) in Michigan, or my Keynote Speech for Faith & Freedom in D.C., and then wants me to show up and get them ratings for their ‘Presidential’ Debate, where I’m leading the field by 40 points. All they do is promote, against all hope, Ron DeSanctimonious, and he’s dropping like a rock. Sorry FoxNews, life doesn’t work that way!!!”
Last week, Mr. DeSantis indicated he would attend the first debate, regardless of who else is in attendance. It’s unclear if Mr. DeSantis has submitted his loyalty pledge.
Mr. Hutchinson and former Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie have criticized the RNC’s loyalty pledge requirements and it remains to be seen if they will change their attitudes before the first debate on Aug. 23.