Conservative commentator Ann Coulter recently criticized former President Donald Trump, saying that he “can barely speak English.”
Ahead of the first Republican primary debate on Wednesday night, New York Times opinion contributor Frank Bruni, Coulter and former Republican political consultant Stuart Stevens spoke about the current GOP candidates.
“Trump can barely speak English. He’s a gigantic baby. The only reason he crushed in 2016 is because of immigration—the wall, deport illegal immigrants, the travel ban (which imposed limits on travel from several predominantly Muslim countries). That is DeSantis this time—without the total lack of interest in carrying it out,” Coulter said in the op-ed, published by The New York Times.
The comments by Coulter come ahead of the first Republican primary debate, which will not feature Trump, as he previously said he will skip the debates, citing his polling lead over other Republican candidates.
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“New CBS POLL, just out, has me leading the field by ‘legendary’ numbers. TRUMP 62%, 46 Points above DeSanctimonious (who is crashing like an ailing bird!), Ramaswamy 7%, Pence 5%, Scott 3%, Haley 2%, Sloppy Chris Christie 2%, ‘Aida’ Hutchinson 1%,” Trump wrote in a post to his TruthSocial account. “The public knows who I am & what a successful Presidency I had, with Energy Independence, Strong Borders & Military, Biggest EVER Tax & Regulation Cuts, No Inflation, Strongest Economy in History, & much more. I WILL THEREFORE NOT BE DOING THE DEBATES!”
Instead, Trump said on Truth Social that his interview with former Fox New host Tucker Carlson will air at 9 p.m. EST, the same time the debate is scheduled to begin.
Thomas Gift, the founding director of the Centre on U.S. Politics at University College London, previously told Newsweek that Trump’s decision to skip the debate on Wednesday night is Trump sending a message to voters that they “have no choice.”
“While some might not like that message, his lead is so insurmountable that it’s unlikely to hurt him—and for some, that bravado will even help,” Gift told Newsweek on Monday.
In addition to the poll referenced by Trump, a 2024 GOP primary tracking poll from Morning Consult also found the former president leading all other candidates. According to the poll, 58 percent of respondents currently say they plan to vote for Trump while 14 percent side with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, giving the former president a 44-point lead. The most recent poll surveyed 3,608 Republican primary voters from August 18-20 with a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
Newsweek reached out to Trump’s spokesperson via email for comment in response to Coulter’s remarks.
