WEST ALLIS – You never know who will be walking around the Wisconsin State Fair.
On Monday, during Wisconsin’s Afternoon News, former Wisconsin governor Tommy Thompson was passing by the Bank Five Nine Studios, and stopped inside to talk with WTMJ’s John Mercure and Sandy Maxx on Wisconsin’s Afternoon News.
The three discussed the upcoming Republican presidential debate just over two weeks away at Fiserv Forum. Former Vice President Mike Pence has met the donor requirements to attend the debate, but former President Trump’s status remains up in the air. When asked if he thought Trump should attend the debate, Thompson said he probably should, but would likely pass.
“There’s an axiom in politics: when you’re ahead, don’t give your opponent a chance to hit you…why would he want to give anybody on that stage an opportunity to embarrass him, or to ridicule him? So I don’t think he’ll show up.” Thompson said, while acknowledging that his status as the main attraction was reason enough to be on stage August 23rd.
The 81-year-old former governor also hinted that he might not be done running for political office. While he currently has no plans to throw his hat into the ring, Thompson says a race against U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin wouldn’t be out of the question.
Hear our full conversation with Thompson on the Wisconsin’s Afternoon News podcast!
