Trump praises Jan. 6 crowd, repeats election lies in online interview while skipping GOP debate

By MICHELLE L. PRICE
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump skipped the debate stage typically relished by presidential candidates on Wednesday and instead appeared in an online interview peppered with his election lies, attacking his rivals and praising the crowd of supporters he spoke to before they stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump, who has cut his political career by brushing aside democratic norms and embracing the inflammatory, said he was sitting out the first Republican presidential debate in Milwaukee because his poll numbers showed him far ahead of his rivals. Instead, he used a pre-recorded interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson to make his case that everyone but him is irrelevant.