Republican Candidates Prepare For First Debate, Without Trump

Donald Trump holds the largest lead in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, according to a new CBS poll, but the former president is not expected to attend the first debate of his party's primary.

Though Trump is leading at 62%, with the next closest candidate being Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at 16%, the former president said because of his lead he won't be doing debates.

However, some of his Republican rivals say his absence could benefit them.

"I have no problem with him skipping the first couple of debates," Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said. "This is my chance to introduce myself to the country."

Ron DeSantis also said there are positives to Trump being absent.

"The good news is, you're there and you'll be able to fire away with your vision and tell people in an unfiltered way why you'd do a good job being the next President of the United States," DeSantis said.

Meanwhile, Trump and 18 co-defendants have until this Friday to surrender in Atlanta on charges of trying to overturn the state's 2020 election results.