[Hoot Gibson]

I agree with Vivek. Donald Trump should be punished heavily in the polls if he elects not to participate in the Republican debates. Trump has a record to defend and refusing to face his competition and defend that record would make him look cowardly and weak, IMO.

BTW, I have watched several interviews of Vivek Ranaswamy and I have been very impressed. I would not hesitate to vote for the man for president or any other office. He is a very conservative, articulate, and a straight-talker who seems to be a "quick thinker." He will be a very worthy debate opponent, should Trump choose to accept the challenge.

Trump's lead in the polls will shrink once the campaigns heat up, but I believe his lead will evaporate very quickly if he is a no-show to a debate that includes DeSantis and Ramaswamy. Allowing every debate participant to take their best shots at Trump as he dodges debates would be a huge mistake on Trump's part.

Vivek Ramaswamy: It Would Be ‘Fundamentally Uncourageous’ For Donald Trump To Refuse To Debate

“I think it would be fundamentally uncourageous for Donald Trump to refuse to debate. And I’m not going to let him get away with that very easily because we are the party that should be unafraid of open debate. And I’ll tell you this, I think a big mistake electorally for him not to do that. I don’t think our base wants somebody who’s uncourageous and duck’s debate. That’s part of what made Trump successful in 2015, is that he was unafraid and he took to task the incumbents on the debate stage.”