Trump to skip second GOP debate, will rally with striking autoworkers in Detroit

Former President Donald Trump will skip next week’s second Republican presidential primary debate and hold a rally with striking autoworkers and other skilled tradesmen instead.

Trump, 77, is planning to hold the event, which will include a prime-time speech, in Detroit on Sept. 27 — the same night his GOP rivals will convene in California at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum for the second primary debate, a source familiar with the former president’s plans told The Post on Monday. 

The move signals that Trump, who holds a nearly 44 point lead over his closest GOP primary opponent, is already looking past the GOP primaries and focusing his attention on defeating President Biden in 2024, in part, by courting union members in one the states he lost to the 80-year-old incumbent in 2020. 

Next week’s rally won’t just be for autoworkers. The Trump campaign is planning on packing the room with more than 500 tradesmen, including plumbers, pipe-fitters and electricians, the New York Times first reported on Monday.