RNC reveals participant list for 4th GOP presidential primary debate
The Republican National Committee has announced that former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, current Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and author and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy will participate in the fourth GOP presidential primary debate of the 2024 cycle.
When the candidates take to the stage December 6 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, former President Donald Trump, the clear frontrunner according to polls, who is widely expected to win the nomination, will be conspicuously absent just as he was during the first three debates.
"The fourth debate is another fantastic opportunity for our Republican candidates to share our winning agenda with the American people," RNC chair Ronna McDaniel said, according to the RNC's press release. "President Reagan was the first sitting president to visit the University of Alabama nearly 40 years ago, just before cruising to a landslide victory in 1984, and I’m thrilled to return our conservative message to Tuscaloosa on Wednesday night."
Megyn Kelly, Eliana Johnson, and Elizabeth Vargas will be moderating the debate.
While there were five candidates in the third debate, GOP Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina dropped his presidential bid not long after participating in that event last month.
On Monday, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who was in the first two debates but not the third, announced the suspension of his presidential campaign and slammed the RNC's debate eligibility criteria. The criteria has required candidates to meet certain polling and unique donor thresholds to qualify for each debate.
"These arbitrary criteria ensure advantages for candidates from major media markets on the coasts versus America's Heartland. None of their debate criteria relate to the qualifications related to actually doing the job of the president. This effort to nationalize the primary system is unhealthy for the future of the party, especially for a party that proclaims to value leadership from outside of Washington," Burgum said in a statement.
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'It will be the margarita of debates': Megyn Kelly and others to serve as moderators of next GOP presidential primary debate
Megyn Kelly, Washington Free Beacon editor in chief Eliana Johnson, and NewsNation's Elizabeth Vargas will moderate the fourth Republican presidential primary debate of the 2024 election cycle, which is slated to occur December 6 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
"I am thrilled to announce that the RNC has sanctioned the fourth Republican primary debate in Alabama with NewsNation, 'The Megyn Kelly Show,' the Washington Free Beacon, and Rumble as our partners. With less than a year out from Election Day 2024, the fourth debate stage will showcase our winning Republican agenda against Biden's record of failure," Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel said, according to a press release.
"It will be the margarita of debates – spicy, fun and somewhat intoxicating. Looking forward to it," Kelly said, according to the press release.
"The Free Beacon is excited to partner with 'The Megyn Kelly Show' and NewsNation to offer the candidates a debate platform outside of the mainstream media echo chamber and to give Republican primary voters a debate where conservative ideas and values will be the terrain and not the target," Johnson said, according to the press release.
Five candidates participated Wednesday night in the third GOP presidential primary debate of the 2024 election cycle, but former President Donald Trump, who has been trouncing the rest of the Republican primary field in polls, was not in attendance at the event in Miami, Florida. Trump, who held a rally in Hialeah, Florida, on Wednesday night, has not attended any of the first three debates so far.
The third debate was moderated by Lester Holt, Kristen Welker, and Hugh Hewitt, but during the event, author and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy said that Tucker Carlson, Joe Rogan, and Elon Musk should have been the moderators.
Ramaswamy suggested that McDaniel should resign, saying that if she wanted to get on stage and resign, he would yield his time to her.
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GOP presidential primary candidates debate for a third time without the clear Republican front-runner in the mix
Five GOP presidential primary candidates participated Wednesday night in the third Republican presidential primary debate of the 2024 election cycle, but as in the first two debates, the clear frontrunner in the GOP nominating contest, former President Donald Trump, was conspicuously absent from the stage.
Trump opted to hold a rally in Hialeah, Florida, on Wednesday night.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, author and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina were the five candidates who took part in the debate.
"He owes it to you to be on this stage and explain why he should get another chance," DeSantis said about Trump. "He should explain why he didn't have Mexico pay for the border wall. He should explain why he racked up so much debt. He should explain why he didn't drain the swamp."
"I think he was the right president at the right time. I don't think he's the right president now," Haley said of Trump.
During a portion of the debate focused on the social media platform TikTok, Ramaswamy claimed that Haley's "own daughter was actually using the app for a long time."
"Leave my daughter out of your voice," Haley responded. She also called Ramaswamy "scum."
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While discussing the issue of abortion, Haley said, "As much as I'm pro-life, I don't judge anyone for being pro-choice." She added that she does not want people to judge her for her pro-life viewpoint.
During his closing remarks, Ramaswamy called for the Democratic Party to "end this farce that Joe Biden is gonna be your nominee." He called for the party to "have the guts to step up and be honest about who you're actually gonna put up so we can have an honest debate."
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'Donald Duck': Trump, who skipped 2nd GOP presidential primary debate, targeted by competitors
Seven Republican presidential hopefuls gathered at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California on Wednesday night to participate in the second GOP presidential primary debate of the 2024 election cycle.
Debate participants included Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, author and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina. Candidates were required to meet polling and fundraising thresholds in order to be eligible to participate in the debate.
Former President Donald Trump, who remains the clear primary frontrunner, skipped the event on Wednesday night after previously skipping the first GOP presidential primary debate last month. Trump delivered a speech in Michigan on Wednesday night.
During the debate, DeSantis and Christie called out Trump for skipping the event and for the trillions of dollars of debt the U.S. piled on during his White House tenure.
"Donald Trump is missing in action. He should be on this stage tonight," DeSantis declared. "He owes it to you to defend his record where they added $7.8 trillion to the debt. That set the stage for the inflation that we have."
Later during the event, Christie looked directly into a camera and addressed Trump, claiming that the former president skipped the debate because he is "afraid" of appearing at the event and defending his record. "You're ducking these things," he said, adding that if Trump continues to do so, people will call him "Donald Duck."
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Pence said that as president he would approach Congress about passing "a federal expedited death penalty for anyone involved in a mass shooting" so perpetrators "meet their fate in months, not years."
Haley blasted Ramaswamy, telling him, "every time I hear you, I feel a little bit dumber for what you say."
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Later during the debate Ramaswamy advocated for reducing "the federal employee headcount by 75%."
DeSantis said that he rejects the notion "that pro-lifers are to blame for midterm defeats."
At the end of the debate, Dana Perino, who was one of the debate moderators, said that if all the candidates on the stage remain in the race, Trump will clinch the GOP presidential nomination. She instructed the candidates to write down which of their competitors on the stage "should be voted off the island." The candidates declined to do so.
The next GOP presidential primary debate is slated to take place in Miami, Florida in November.
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Trump will reportedly skip second GOP primary debate and deliver speech in Detroit
Former President Donald Trump will reportedly visit Detroit, Michigan, next week on the same day that the second GOP presidential primary debate is slated to take place.
Some UAW union members with Ford, GM, and Stellantis have recently gone on strike, and UAW president Shawn Fain has warned that if significant progress is not made by noon on September 22, more will be called upon to strike.
The New York Times, citing two Trump advisers, reported that the former president plans to head to Detroit on the date of the upcoming GOP primary debate. Trump will speak to current and former union members, the outlet reported. Trump's campaign plans to have plumbers, pipefitters, electricians, and autoworkers in attendance, according one of the Trump advisers, the Times reported.
"Every fiber of our union is being poured into fighting the billionaire class and an economy that enriches people like Donald Trump at the expense of workers," Fain declared in a statement. "We can't keep electing billionaires and millionaires that don't have any understanding what it is like to live paycheck to paycheck and struggle to get by and expecting them to solve the problems of the working class."
The second GOP primary debate will be held in California next week. Ahead of the first debate last month, Trump declared that he would not participate in the GOP primary debates. On the night of the first debate, Tucker Carlson released an interview of Trump on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter.
Trump has successfully maintained a massive lead over the rest of the Republican primary field, and he appears to be on track to easily clinch the party's 2024 presidential nomination.
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It's official: Tucker Carlson announces Trump interview will be released on Wednesday night
Conservative media powerhouse Tucker Carlson has announced that an interview with Donald Trump will air Wednesday night at 8:55 p.m. EST on X.
In a brief video posted on the social media platform previously known as Twitter, Carlson noted that Trump, who is the clear leader in the GOP presidential primary contest, has indicated that he will not participate in the Republican presidential primary debate in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Wednesday night.
"We think voters have an interest in hearing what he thinks. So when Trump approached us about having a conversation for a far larger audience than he'd receive on cable news, we happily accepted. That interview will air tonight in this space at 8:55. We hope you'll watch," Carlson said in the video.
Elon Musk retweeted Carlson's post and wrote, "Interesting."
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Earlier on Wednesday Trump had posted about the interview, writing on Truth Social, "MY INTERVIEW WITH TUCKER CARLSON WILL BE AIRED TONIGHT AT 9:00 P.M. 'SPARKS WILL FLY.' ENJOY!"
The release of Carlson's Trump interview will directly clash with the first Republican presidential primary debate slated to take place Wednesday night from 9-11 p.m. The debate will be moderated by Fox News Channel's Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum.
While the debate will actually take place on Wednesday night, Carlson's interview of Trump was recorded previously, according to reports.
Trump has said that he does not plan to participate in any of the Republican primary debates.
"The public knows who I am & what a successful Presidency I had, with Energy Independence, Strong Borders & Military, Biggest EVER Tax & Regulation Cuts, No Inflation, Strongest Economy in History, & much more. I WILL THEREFORE NOT BE DOING THE DEBATES!" he wrote on Truth Social.
Carlson previously hosted a popular primetime program on the Fox News Channel, but the show was abruptly cut from the lineup earlier this year. Carlson later started a new show and has been releasing episodes directly on Twitter, which is now called X.
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Amid the left's constant climate fearmongering, DNC reportedly books aircraft to fly banner around Milwaukee on night of first GOP presidential primary debate
The Democratic National Committee has reportedly booked an aircraft to fly a banner around Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Wednesday night, a move that seems to mark a display of blatant hypocrisy in light of the climate alarmism regularly espoused by Democrats.
According to Politico, the DNC has booked the aircraft to tow a banner with the message "GOP 2024: A Race for the Extreme MAGA Base."
Multiple GOP presidential candidates are slated to participate in the first Republican presidential primary debate of the 2024 election cycle on Wednesday night in Milwaukee. But former President Donald Trump, who is the clear frontrunner in the contest, will be conspicuously absent from the debate stage, as he has opted to skip the event and apparently plans to skip all of the other primary debates as well.
"The public knows who I am & what a successful Presidency I had, with Energy Independence, Strong Borders & Military, Biggest EVER Tax & Regulation Cuts, No Inflation, Strongest Economy in History, & much more," Trump recently wrote in a post on Truth Social, while pointing to a poll which indicates that he holds a massive lead over his competitors. "I WILL THEREFORE NOT BE DOING THE DEBATES!"
Some people took notice of the Democrats' apparent climate hypocrisy.
"The DNC acts terribly worried about carbon emissions," conservative radio host Erick Erickson tweeted in response to the news of the DNC booking a plane to fly a banner.
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"Apparently plane emissions are only permissible when they’re the DNC's," another person wrote.
"So not really worried about Climate Change...." someone else wrote.
President Joe Biden has previously claimed that the "climate crisis" represents "the only existential threat humanity faces."
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Trump reportedly plans to skip GOP debate and do interview with Tucker Carlson
Reports indicate that former President Donald Trump plans to skip the first GOP presidential primary debate and do an interview with conservative media figure Tucker Carlson.
Trump has determined to skip the debate, NBC News reported, citing two sources aware of his thinking. The outlet reported that Trump is seeking an interview with Carlson.
"We haven't confirmed anything on our end," a Trump campaign spokesperson noted when questioned about Trump's plans for next week, according to the outlet.
The New York Times reported that, according to individuals briefed on the issue, Trump plans to upstage the GOP primary debate by doing an interview with Carlson. According to two individuals briefed on the situation, Trump has informed individuals close to him that he has determined to skip the debate, the Times reported.
Trump is by far the most popular Republican presidential candidate, according to polling, so his absence would almost certainly lead to lower interest in the debate.
Trump has been publicly questioning why he should participate in the debate when he is already walloping the competition.
"Many people are asking whether or not I will be doing the DEBATES? ALL AMERICANS have been clamoring for a President of extremely High Intelligence. As everyone is aware, my Poll numbers, over a 'wonderful' field of Republican candidates, are extraordinary. In fact, I am leading the runner up, whoever that may now be, by more than 50 Points. Reagan didn't do it, and neither did others. People know my Record, one of the BEST EVER, so why would I Debate? I'M YOUR MAN. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
The debate is slated to take place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on August 23 and will be moderated by Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum of Fox News. "The RNC is proud to announce the @FoxNews Republican Primary Debate with Partners @YAF and @RumbleVideo," the Republican National Committee tweeted in April.
Carlson previously hosted a popular primetime program on the Fox News Channel, but the show was abruptly eliminated from the evening lineup earlier this year. Carlson later launched a new show that is unaffiliated with Fox News, releasing episodes directly on Twitter.
Axios reported earlier this year that Fox News had issued a cease-and-desist letter to Carlson. But Carlson has continued creating content and releasing it on the social media platform.
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Governed by the Old | 8/24/23