It’s being hailed online as the must-see TV event of the summer, and all eyes will be on Donald Trump.
Asked as he was stepping off his private plane in Cleveland whether he prepared for Thursday night’s Fox News debate, Trump replied, “Let’s put it this way: I’ve been preparing all my life.”
“We have to make our country great again,” he added. “That’s what we have to do. Make our country great again.”
Campaign sources tell NBC News that Trump will do what he does best: be Trump.
Aides have given him detailed policy memos with bullet points — and he’s studying them. But after coming back from Scotland on Saturday, Trump has hardly kept a low profile to prepare.
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Since Sunday morning, when he appeared on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” the billionaire candidate has done at least nine interviews, eight on TV and one by radio, though most were by phone.
On Sunday, Trump downplayed expectations for the debate, telling NBC’s Chuck Todd, “I’m not a debater. I’ve never been on a stage debating … I don’t want to be unreal. I want to be me. I have to be me.”
While the other candidates have been sparring in mock debates with mock opponents, Trump has been telling anyone who will listen that he’s not engrossed in that kind of debate preparation. He’s vowed to keep it civil tonight, as long as he isn’t attacked first.









