MILWAUKEE, Wis.—The first debate in the Republican presidential primary season will take place at 9 p.m. Eastern on Aug. 23 at the Fiserv Forum in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum will moderate the two-hour event, which will be broadcast exclusively on Fox News and its associated platforms as well as Rumble.
On Aug. 21, the Republican National Committee announced which candidates met various qualifications to participate in the debate–including a pledge to support the party’s eventual nominee. Participants also had to meet thresholds based on polling and unique donors.
The eight debaters will be Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former Vice President Mike Pence, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum.
According to the RNC, radio host Larry Elder and businessman Perry Johnson did not make the cut. Both men have objected, with Mr. Elder pledging on social media that he “intend[s] to sue the RNC to halt Wednesday’s presidential debate.” Mr. Johnson similarly took to that site to state that he will “announce legal action in the coming hours.”
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and Will Hurd, a former CIA clandestine officer who at one point represented Texas’s 23rd district in Congress, likewise fell short.
Meanwhile, the frontrunner for the Republican nomination, former President Donald J. Trump, will broadcast his own counter-programming with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, due to air at 9 p.m. at the same time as the debate. After departing Fox News, Mr. Carlson began broadcasting a program on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Sparks will fly,” President Trump wrote on his social media platform on Wednesday confirming the interview.
Surrogates for the former president and other non-participating candidates will not receive Media Row credentials. However, they will be permitted into the spin room and media row through other media organizations with credentials granting them access to those sites, according to a memo obtained by The Epoch Times.
Trump ally Laura Loomer has objected to the spin room access policy.
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