Trump will be present at the first Republican TV debate but not in person

Working out Donald Trump's reasoning for not attending the first Republican presidential TY debate on Wednesday in Milwaukee is not too difficult. He knows that even though he won't be there in body, there will be such a huge, visible vacancy on the stage that the Fox News presenter's first question is almost bound to be: "Why do you think the leading contender for the nomination has decided not to attend these proceedings?" It will be all about Trump Trump Trump. So why bother turn up when all the other contenders will do his job for him, giving him free publicity. Trump says he won't attend the TV debates, plural. But let's see. His ego will probably get the better of him once he sees his rivals performing so badly in the first debate. But for the one on Wednesday he will sit back in his armchair wherever he is and have a good laugh at the people who think they can oust him as the Number One contestant. Without him there to goad them, his rivals will have to put up a helluva good fight on the stage to get anywhere near his popularity. At least they will get a better chance to air their views without having Trump interrupting all the time, as he loves to do, waving his arm around at the same time. The debate Trump won't be able to boycott is the one-on-one session with Joe Biden if he gets nominated next July. But in the meantime he thinks he has done more than enough to win the nomination without having to stand next to his pale rivals and explain why he should be president even if he is in jail.