My point exactly. Think about the debates. By leaving him out, he doesn't have to answer anything. Unlike his controlled interviews where certain topics are not allowed, an uncomfortable question or comment may be thrown his way by another candidate that he would have to address or ignore, neither a good look depending on the issue. I wouldn't expect the puppets to be in on it either, gotta keep up the image. The party bosses are the ones who ultimately decide who goes to primary (see Ron Paul and Bernie Sanders for people who truly were not wanted). The parties make their own rules, and those rules include changing rules whenever they choose. He took pharma money to fund his inauguration in 2016, he was bailed out of bankruptcy in the 90s by a Rothchild's owned equity firm and appointed the guy who handled it to a Cabinet position (Wilbur Ross). Those types of things don't come without strings attached. He also holds J&J (if you recall he freaked out when the J&J jab was paused in 2021), Gilead (Remdesivir maker) and Pfizer stocks.
https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/health-companies-gave-generously-president-trumps-inauguration/