The U.S. Secret Service conduced a security ‘sweep’ of the Alabama site of the next presidential debate showdown, according to a source – raising the prospect of a dramatic return by a frontrunner who has kept himself out of the arena.
A source familiar with the Alabama debate, set for December 6 in Tuscaloosa, alerted DailyMail.com to the precautions.
‘Donald Trump is the only candidate who has Secret Service, and we were told that the Secret Service did a sweep of the debate space in Alabama,’ said the source.
A source familiar with the Trump campaign’s planning had ‘no clue’ why the Secret Service would inspect the building, but stated unequivocally: ‘President Trump will not be attending the next debate.’
That would seem to make a Trump appearance at the fourth debate highly unlikely. But Trump likes to keep audiences guessing and could change his mind. That is what he did in 2016 when he finally decided not to attend a Fox News debate hosted by then-Fox anchor Megyn Kelly.
See you in December? Former President Trump ‘will not be attending the next debate,’ a source told DailyMail.com, although another source said the Secret Service surveyed the arena for the next presidential debate
Trump complained then that networks were cashing in on TV ratings boosted by his appearance, and had fumed tough questioning by Fox during the first televised debate that cycle, where he memorably clashed with Kelly.
Instead, he held his own event which he dedicated to raising funds for veterans. (A federal judge later ordered him $2 million in damages saying the Trump Foundation misused funds).
The Dec. 6 debate is set to be held in the Moody Music Building at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, and will feature Kelly as one of the moderators, which would add drama to any Trump return.
The fourth GOP debate is set for December 6 at the Frank Moody Music Building at the University of
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She now has a show on Sirius XM. NewsNation’s Elizabeth Vargas and the Eliana Johnson of the Washington Free Beacon will also moderate.
The Secret Service did not respond to a request for comment. None of the Republican contenders set to gather on stage are believed to get Secret Service protection, which the agency usually designates later in the primary cycle based on its own criteria.
If the agency did assess the location, it would have been in an exploratory capacity. It only sweeps areas for potential threats when a facility can be kept ‘clean’ for the duration of a security period, and this usually involved multiple agents, canines, and technological equipment.
The polls appear unlikely to persuade Trump to change tack just yet. Last week he led Nikki Haley by 28 percentage points in a New Hampshire poll, and on Tuesday he led Ron DeSantis, his closest rival, by a stunning 51 percentage points in a new Messenger / Harris poll. That poll had Trump at 62 per cent.
Trump has also refused to sign the RNC’s ‘loyalty pledge’ to support the eventual winner.