Trump absent again with stage set for second Republican debate

Trump absent again with stage set for second Republican debate

LOS ANGELES: US presidential hopefuls prepared Wednesday for the second 2024 Republican primary debate, with runaway frontrunner Donald Trump once again reducing the event to a sideshow after refusing to take part.
The 77-year-old former president had announced he would be skipping the debates, citing a commanding poll lead which he has maintained despite facing multiple criminal charges.
Adding to his litany of legal troubles, a New York judge ruled Tuesday that he and his sons Eric and Don Jr committed fraud by inflating the value of the real estate and financial assets of the Trump Organization for years.