Former President Donald Trump is expected to participate in a Fox News Channel town hall during CNN’s Iowa debate that will feature other 2024 Republican presidential candidates.
CNN announced on Dec. 7 that it would be hosting two Republican presidential debates, the one on Jan. 10 at Drake University in Iowa at 9 p.m. and the other on Jan. 21 in New Hampshire. Neither debates are in partnership with the Republican National Committee (RNC). While some of the former president’s challengers will debate each other on CNN, Trump will appear on a Fox News Channel town hall moderated by its own Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum at 9 p.m. on Jan. 10, according to a press release. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Trump Rips RNC, Says They Have To Stop Debates)
The announcement is a surprising move for the front-runner, who has skipped the last four presidential Republican debates put on by the RNC, instead opting to hold rallies or events of his own.
“With only three candidates qualifying, it’s time for Donald Trump to show up,” Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley said in a press release, calling on Trump to show up to the CNN debate. “As the debate stage continues to shrink, it’s getting harder for Donald Trump to hide.”
Trump, Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis are the only presidential candidates who qualified for the CNN debate, the network announced Monday. Business entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy has decided to participate in a town hall on Tim Pool’s podcast, Timcast.
CNN planned its debates amid reports that the RNC was weighing lifting its rule that prohibited candidates from participating in debates not sanctioned by the party. The network said in its press release that it expected the RNC to lift its rule not long after its announcement.
ABC News announced Dec. 7 that it is partnering with WMUR-TV, a local TV station, that it would be hosting a Republican debate of its own on Jan. 18 at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire.
President Donald Trump participates in a Fox News Town Hall event with moderators Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum on March 05, 2020 in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Among other topics, President Trump discussed his administration’s response to the Coronavirus and the economy. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
The RNC lifted its rule and paused its involvement in the Republican presidential debates a day after the station’s announcements, freeing the candidates to participate in the debates if they qualified.
Most of the presidential candidates previously criticized the RNC’s rule which kept them from participating in other debate-like forums. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and business entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy both criticized the rule after the RNC barred the two candidates from participating in a one-on-one debate on Fox News. Christie criticized the previous rule, saying that it “conversations between candidates from happening.” (RELATED: RNC Threatens Presidential Candidates Planning To Attend ‘Thanksgiving Family Forum’ With Debate DQ: REPORT)
“We have no RNC debates scheduled in January and any debates currently scheduled are not affiliated with the RNC,” the RNC debates committee said in a statement following its decision. “It is now time for Republican primary voters to decide who will be our next President and candidates are free to use any forum or format to communicate to voters as they see fit.”
Some members of the RNC pushed back on the decision, arguing that bowing out of the debate process completely gifted left-leaning networks such as CNN and ABC debates. Other members felt that the RNC made the right choice and that it was time for the candidates to decide what networks they wanted to work with for debates.
I’m sorry this has to be said…
IT IS NOT OKAY TO HOST PRIMARY DEBATES ON CNN OR NBC
— Tyler Bowyer (@tylerbowyer) December 7, 2023
“Of course we have accepted the chance to debate in front of Iowans before the caucus and in New Hampshire ahead of their primary,” campaign press secretary Bryan Griffin Griffin previously told the Daily Caller. “Concerns about the outlets offering to host these debates should be directed at the RNC for relinquishing control of the process at the last minute. As we’ve said multiple times, we will gladly debate Donald Trump and/or Nikki Haley in Iowa and New Hampshire on Fox, Newsmax, or any state-based outlets as well.”