Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul says the next Republican presidential debate is going to be the best yet — and not just because he'll be returning to the main stage after low polling numbers barred him from it at the last debate. The true silver lining of Thursday's debate, Paul says, is the fact that Donald Trump won't be there.
Trump announced Tuesday that he will not be attending the Fox News debate because he believes Fox News anchor and moderator Megyn Kelly is "biased." "It's sort of a double-win for me: Not only am I on the main stage, but we don't have to put up with a lot of empty blather and boastfulness and calling people names," Paul said Wednesday on Fox News' Happening Now. He noted that since all the other candidates will have some more time to talk, "there is a chance to really have a substantive debate on the issues."
That, he says, will not only be better for him — it will be better for America, too. "It's all the better for the country, really, as far as I'm concerned," Paul said of Trump's absence, adding that he's "looking forward to it."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Other Republican candidates have echoed Paul's sentiments, with Chris Christie saying he's "glad" Trump is skipping and Marco Rubio slamming Trump for his "theatrics."
-
Christian Brückner: why prime suspect in Madeleine McCann case can refuse Met interviewThe Explainer International letter of request rejected by 49-year-old convicted rapist as he prepares to walk free
-
Angela Rayner: the rise and fall of a Labour stalwartIn the Spotlight Deputy prime minister resigned after she underpaid £40,000 in stamp duty
-
Crossword: September 16, 2025The Week's daily crossword
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to TrumpSpeed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raidsSpeed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raidSpeed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearingSpeed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mountSpeed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own listspeed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battleSpeed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants
