What to Know About Tonight’s First GOP Debate

(Top L–R) Republican presidential candidates Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, and Vivek Ramaswamy. (Bottom L–R) Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Vice President Mike Pence, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson. AP Photo

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.”

California Governor candidate Larry Elder speaks with supporters at the Hilton hotel in Costa Mesa, Calif., on Sept. 14, 2021. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

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.

With a handful of fellow Trump supporters waving to passing cars, former Republican congressional candidate Laura Loomer—an outspoken opponent of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis—speaks with reporters near a book-signing by DeSantis in Leesburg, Fla., on Feb. 28, 2023. Nanette Holt/The Epoch Times

Although Mr. Trump will apparently be absent, Donald Trump, Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle will have a major presence in Milwaukee. The two are slated to lead a series of interviews with generally pro-Trump voices at the Rumble Debate Studio on Wednesday afternoon before the debate. A post on Twitter/X from Rumble stated that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), Kari Lake, Sarah Palin, and Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) are on the “tentative guest lineup.”

It all comes a day before Mr. Trump’s expected surrender at Fulton County Jail in Georgia. Mr. Trump confirmed he will be arrested on Aug. 24 after Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis brought charges against the former president and eighteen others in connection with their efforts to contest the 2020 election.

DeSantis and Ramaswamy at Center Stage

Mr. DeSantis and Mr. Ramaswamy will occupy positions 1 and 2, respectively, at the center of the stage. Mr. Ramaswamy will be on the right, and Mr. DeSantis will be on the left.

Mr. Pence and Ms. Haley will be in positions 3 and 4, next to Mr. DeSantis and Mr. Ramaswamy, respectively. Mr. Pence will be flanked on the left by Mr. Christie, at position 5, while Mr. Scott will be slotted to Ms. Haleys’ right at position 6. Mr. Hutchinson will be on the far left at position 7, while Mr. Burgum will occupy position eight on the far right.

A June announcement from the RNC stated that “qualified candidates will be placed on stage according to polling, with the highest polling candidate in the center.”

While both men have come under fire as their profiles have risen, multiple sources have told The Epoch Times that they expect Mr. DeSantis will be an especially inviting target for his GOP rivals on stage in Milwaukee.

“Due to some recent missteps from the DeSantis campaign, you can expect some tough questions to come his way. That’s expected, though, since he’s the leading candidate among those participating,” said Kevin Tober, a news analyst with the Media Research Center, in an Aug. 21 email interview with The Epoch Times.

“We are fully prepared for Governor DeSantis to be the center of attacks,” DeSantis campaign manager James Uthmeier wrote in recent messaging guidance on the debate.

“The polls and insiders are going to be looking for if Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is going to be a credible candidate or continue to stub his toe. If DeSantis makes a good showing, the insiders and media suddenly will be looking at a horserace instead of cakewalk for Donald Trump,” said William S. Bike, a journalist and the author of “Winning Political Campaigns: A Comprehensive Guide To Electoral Success,” in an Aug. 22 email to The Epoch Times.

The Fiserv Forum is seen during a media walk through ahead of the Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee, Wis., on Jan. 7, 2020. Eric Baradat /AFP via Getty Images

The Ratings

Insiders have speculated that Mr. Trump’s absence from the debate will make a significant dent in Fox News’ viewership, especially if a separate Trump-Carlson interview draws off supporters of the former president and others who might have otherwise tuned into the event.

“The only reason that Ronna McDaniel and company want him [Mr. Trump] on stage and the other candidates want him on stage is because they want America to watch,” Kash Patel told Steve Lance on NTD News Tonight on Aug. 21.

Mr. Patel suggested that the concurrent Trump-Carlson interview “is why you’re seeing an outcry from traditional Republican circles” ahead of the event.

Mr. Trump’s past debate appearances have drawn tens of millions of Americans to their television screens. Nielsen Media Research estimates his first debate with Hillary Clinton in 2016 attracted 84 million viewers, breaking a previous record for absolute audience numbers (ratings for debates have generally trended downward in recent decades as the media environment has changed.)

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton shake hands during the presidential debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y., on Sept. 26, 2016. David Goldman/AP Photo

Reaction From Democrats and the Media

Others will be tracking how Democrats respond to the Aug. 23 debate.

A report from the New York Times quoted Democratic politicians and insiders who said they will be monitoring Republican messaging on abortion, Hunter Biden, and Mr. Trump, among other topics.

Mark Jones, a political scientist at Rice University, suggested Democrats may be pleased to see Mr. Trump and his allies at odds with each other ahead of the event in Milwaukee.

“I suspect Democrats will follow the advice of Sun [Tzu] and ‘never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake,’” Mr. Jones told The Epoch Times in an Aug. 21 email, adding that he thinks Democrats want Mr. Trump to be the nominee because they see him as more beatable than some others in the Republican field.

“Many of the candidates will reiterate their loyalty to former President Donald Trump, so expect the Democrats to point out the irony of them running against someone they support. The candidates also will argue that the indictments of Trump are a witch hunt, which will give Democrats the opportunity to reiterate the details of Trump’s alleged offenses as a contrast,” said Mr. Bike.

Others are watching to see how influential voices in legacy media interpret the event, particularly since it will not be simulcast on competitor networks.

A Fox News channel sign is on a television vehicle outside the News Corporation building in New York City, on Nov. 8, 2017. Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

“Since it’s a debate sponsored by Fox News and Young America’s Foundation (YAF), you can expect the liberal media to dismiss it as Republicans giving Republican candidates softball questions,” Mr. Tober said.

The press, along with many other Republicans and Trump supporters, may be looking for the stumble that dashes Mr. DeSantis’s hopes.

Mr. Bike offered numerous examples of debates and similar events at which leading candidates fell.

“It wasn’t a debate, but in January 2004, when he had a good chance of securing the Democratic nomination for President, Vermont Governor Howard Dean let out a scream in a speech in Iowa that the insiders and media ridiculed, and he was toast,” he pointed out.