Republican voters may have seen their last primary debate of the 2024 cycle, as CNN has decided to cancel its New Hampshire debate originally slated for Sunday, the Daily Caller has learned.
Immediately following the Iowa Caucus, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley said that she would no longer participate in Republican presidential debates unless former President Donald Trump showed up to take her on. ABC News and CNN had both announced on Dec. 7 their plans to host debates in New Hampshire ahead of the state’s primary. After ABC News announced it would be canceling its debate, CNN made the same decision, ending Republican presidential debate season for the foreseeable future, a CNN spokesperson told the Daily Caller.
“CNN is no longer moving forward with a New Hampshire Republican Presidential Primary Debate, as only one qualifying candidate accepted our invitation to take the stage,” a CNN spokesperson told the Daily Caller. “We will continue to pursue other opportunities as the campaign season progresses through 2024, including candidate Town Halls.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was the only other qualifying candidate in New Hampshire aside from Haley and Trump. A network spokesperson told the Daily Caller that it is hosting a town hall with Haley and its own Jake Tapper on Thursday at New England College New Hampshire. The town hall with Haley follows an earlier town hall with DeSantis and Wolf Blitzer.
Republican presidential candidates Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley participate in the CNN Republican Presidential Primary Debate in Sheslow Auditorium at Drake University on January 10, 2024 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Amid reports that the Republican National Committee (RNC) would lift its rule that barred candidates from participating in non-GOP-sanctioned debates, ABC News and CNN announced on Dec. 7 their plans to host Republican presidential debates in Iowa and New Hampshire. Shortly thereafter on Dec. 9, the RNC made the decision to pause its involvement in the primary debates and granted candidates the freedom to participate in any forums.
CNN hosted the first debate following the RNC’s decision in Iowa. Setting the toughest qualification standards of the debate season, only Trump, DeSantis and Haley qualified for the event. Trump, as he has for the entire election cycle, opted to skip the forum and instead attend a town hall with Fox News.
Rather than debate, Trump has instead hosted rallies and events of his own. The former president earlier called on the RNC to cancel all debates while arguing that the party has been unable to “do their job” in an interview with the Daily Caller.
While passing on opportunities to debate his Republican competitors, Trump’s campaign seems more than eager to debate President Joe Biden.
“President Trump looks forward to debating Crooked Joe Biden next fall,” a senior Trump aide previously told the Daily Caller. “The real question is whether or not Joe will debate President Trump. Specific to the Presidential Debate Commission, the campaign has not yet accepted the suggested terms made recently.”