All you need to know about the first GOP presidential debate
![The leading 2024 Republican presidential candidates are set to face off in the party's first primary debate. Eight candidates will take part in the debate, which will take place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on the night of Wednesday August 23. Set to last for two hours, the debate will begin at 9pm ET (2am GMT on Thursday August 24). It will be shown on Fox News and moderated by hosts Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum. Unlike some previous presidential debates, which have been broadcast across different networks and cable channels, the first forum is airing exclusively on Fox News and the Fox Business Network. It will also be available to view on Fox's website and other streaming and digital platforms. The Republican National Committee has also partnered with Rumble — a video sharing platform popular with some conservatives — to livestream the debate. So, who are the final candidates for the debate? Who are the principal threats to Donald in the presidential race? Read on below for everything you need to know about the first Republican presidential primary debate. Who are the Republican presidential candidates?](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/08/22/18/74593939-12433975-The_leading_2024_Republican_presidential_candidates_are_set_to_f-a-188_1692727058436.jpg)
The leading 2024 Republican presidential candidates are set to face off in the party's first primary debate. Eight candidates will take part in the debate, which will take place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on the night of Wednesday August 23. Set to last for two hours, the debate will begin at 9pm ET (2am GMT on Thursday August 24). It will be shown on Fox News and moderated by hosts Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum. Unlike some previous presidential debates, which have been broadcast across different networks and cable channels, the first forum is airing exclusively on Fox News and the Fox Business Network. It will also be available to view on Fox's website and other streaming and digital platforms. The Republican National Committee has also partnered with Rumble — a video sharing platform popular with some conservatives — to livestream the debate. So, who are the final candidates for the debate? Who are the principal threats to Donald in the presidential race? Read on below for everything you need to know about the first Republican presidential primary debate. Who are the Republican presidential candidates?
![Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis: Former President Donald Trump is a notable absentee and has said he will skip the debate because of his huge lead in the early polls, along with his belief that the public already know who he is. DeSantis, 44, has been seen as the Republican who was most likely to challenge Trump for the party’s nomination in 2024, after he was re-elected as governor of Florida by a near 20-point margin in 2022's mid-term elections. However, his decision to publicly re-enforce his commitment to a highly conservative agenda could have alienated voters who previously perceived him as a more pragmatic, mainstream politician.](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/08/22/18/74597183-12433975-Florida_Gov_Ron_DeSantis_Former_President_Donald_Trump_is_a_nota-a-187_1692727058435.jpg)
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis: Former President Donald Trump is a notable absentee and has said he will skip the debate because of his huge lead in the early polls, along with his belief that the public already know who he is. DeSantis, 44, has been seen as the Republican who was most likely to challenge Trump for the party’s nomination in 2024, after he was re-elected as governor of Florida by a near 20-point margin in 2022's mid-term elections. However, his decision to publicly re-enforce his commitment to a highly conservative agenda could have alienated voters who previously perceived him as a more pragmatic, mainstream politician.
![Vivek Ramaswamy: Polling in third behind Trump and DeSantis is biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. In an appearance on Fox Business back in June 2023, the 37-year-old laid into what he labelled as 'woke capitalism'. Ramaswamy, the author of 'Woke, Inc.' described wokeness as being both 'bad for business' and 'bad for our civic culture'. The son of Indian immigrants, he has gained stature in conservative circles for his criticism of the environmental, social and corporate governance movement that aims to promote socially responsible investing.](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/08/22/18/74597175-12433975-Vivek_Ramaswamy_Polling_in_third_behind_Trump_and_DeSantis_is_bi-a-189_1692727058499.jpg)
Vivek Ramaswamy: Polling in third behind Trump and DeSantis is biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. In an appearance on Fox Business back in June 2023, the 37-year-old laid into what he labelled as 'woke capitalism'. Ramaswamy, the author of 'Woke, Inc.' described wokeness as being both 'bad for business' and 'bad for our civic culture'. The son of Indian immigrants, he has gained stature in conservative circles for his criticism of the environmental, social and corporate governance movement that aims to promote socially responsible investing.
![Mike Pence: Pence has previewed a presidential run for months after his relationship with Donald Trump soured in the final days of his presidency. During the Capitol attack, which took place on January 6 20232, rioters called for the hanging of Pence, who was still vice president at the time. Trump did not denounce these threats and even backed his supporters calling for the death of his deputy. Pence has already testified in cases involving Trump and could serve as a witness in a series of legal challenges the former president is still facing. His campaign will also test the party's appetite for a socially conservative, mild-mannered and deeply religious candidate who has denounced the populist tide that has swept through his party under Trump's presidency.](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/08/22/18/74597143-12433975-Mike_Pence_Pence_has_previewed_a_presidential_run_for_months_aft-a-190_1692727058500.jpg)
Mike Pence: Pence has previewed a presidential run for months after his relationship with Donald Trump soured in the final days of his presidency. During the Capitol attack, which took place on January 6 20232, rioters called for the hanging of Pence, who was still vice president at the time. Trump did not denounce these threats and even backed his supporters calling for the death of his deputy. Pence has already testified in cases involving Trump and could serve as a witness in a series of legal challenges the former president is still facing. His campaign will also test the party's appetite for a socially conservative, mild-mannered and deeply religious candidate who has denounced the populist tide that has swept through his party under Trump's presidency.
![Chris Christie: While he was head of Trump's transition team in 2016 and was an ally during his term, Christie quickly switched to becoming a harsh critic of the former President following the 2020 election and the Capitol attack. Christie insisted he is not 'angry' or 'frustrated' about the state of the race – in fact, he says he is very happy to have the opportunity to run for president again, even if he is polling toward the lower-middle of the pack. The 2024 hopeful has face criticism for centering his campaign on being anti-Trump, but Christie said to a conservative conference on Saturday August 19 2023 that he is unfazed the barrage of questions related to Trump.](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/08/22/18/74597203-12433975-Chris_Christie_While_he_was_head_of_Trump_s_transition_team_in_2-a-191_1692727058503.jpg)
Chris Christie: While he was head of Trump's transition team in 2016 and was an ally during his term, Christie quickly switched to becoming a harsh critic of the former President following the 2020 election and the Capitol attack. Christie insisted he is not 'angry' or 'frustrated' about the state of the race – in fact, he says he is very happy to have the opportunity to run for president again, even if he is polling toward the lower-middle of the pack. The 2024 hopeful has face criticism for centering his campaign on being anti-Trump, but Christie said to a conservative conference on Saturday August 19 2023 that he is unfazed the barrage of questions related to Trump.
![Nikki Haley: Hayley, who served as the governor of South Carolina from 2011 to 2017 and is an ex-UN ambassador, has been outspoken in the build-up to the debate. She labelled the Secret Service's closure of the White House cocaine probe a 'cover-up' and boldly claimed the drugs must have belonged to Hunter Biden or someone 'very close to the president.' The former governor of South Carolina added that now is the time for Ukraine to join NATO, stating that 'the invitation should be extended to Ukraine.' 'They have shown they've got a great military force, they've got the passion, they've already been defending the Europeans by just defending themselves. So I think they've warranted an invitation to that it wouldn't change anything that the United States does.'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/08/22/18/74597215-12433975-Nikki_Haley_Hayley_who_served_as_the_governor_of_South_Carolina_-a-192_1692727058624.jpg)
Nikki Haley: Hayley, who served as the governor of South Carolina from 2011 to 2017 and is an ex-UN ambassador, has been outspoken in the build-up to the debate. She labelled the Secret Service's closure of the White House cocaine probe a 'cover-up' and boldly claimed the drugs must have belonged to Hunter Biden or someone 'very close to the president.' The former governor of South Carolina added that now is the time for Ukraine to join NATO, stating that 'the invitation should be extended to Ukraine.' 'They have shown they've got a great military force, they've got the passion, they've already been defending the Europeans by just defending themselves. So I think they've warranted an invitation to that it wouldn't change anything that the United States does.'
![South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott: Vying to become the first unmarried President since 1884 , Tim Scott became the first black Republican senator since 1979 when taking office in 2013. Scott has at times been one of the few leading Republicans prepared to call out Trump even when he was in office. He publicly chastised the then president when Trump said 'there were fine people on both sides' after a racist march turned violent in Charlottesville, Virginia. 'I believe the president has compromised his moral authority to lead,' Scott told CBS News soon after. 'As we look to the future, it's going to be very difficult for this president to lead if, in fact, his moral authority remains compromised.'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/08/22/18/74597229-12433975-South_Carolina_Sen_Tim_Scott_Vying_to_become_the_first_unmarried-a-193_1692727058625.jpg)
South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott: Vying to become the first unmarried President since 1884 , Tim Scott became the first black Republican senator since 1979 when taking office in 2013. Scott has at times been one of the few leading Republicans prepared to call out Trump even when he was in office. He publicly chastised the then president when Trump said 'there were fine people on both sides' after a racist march turned violent in Charlottesville, Virginia. 'I believe the president has compromised his moral authority to lead,' Scott told CBS News soon after. 'As we look to the future, it's going to be very difficult for this president to lead if, in fact, his moral authority remains compromised.'
![North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum: A billionaire after selling his North Dakota-based tech company to Microsoft in 2001 for $1.1 billion, Burgum prides himself on his blue collar background and his history working with his hands before becoming a successful businessman. 'We know that these issues matter to people,' Burgum told DailyMail.com when asked about fellow candidates focusing campaigns on fighting 'woke' politics. 'But we understand what the role of the federal government is. Because the federal government has a defined set of things they're supposed to do, and actually in the 10th Amendment it says the rest is deferred to the states comma or to the people.' Instead of focusing on culture wars and ideological talking points, Burgum says he plans to keep his campaign zoned-in on the economy, national security and energy independence.](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/08/22/18/74597241-12433975-North_Dakota_Gov_Doug_Burgum_A_billionaire_after_selling_his_Nor-a-195_1692727058626.jpg)
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum: A billionaire after selling his North Dakota-based tech company to Microsoft in 2001 for $1.1 billion, Burgum prides himself on his blue collar background and his history working with his hands before becoming a successful businessman. 'We know that these issues matter to people,' Burgum told DailyMail.com when asked about fellow candidates focusing campaigns on fighting 'woke' politics. 'But we understand what the role of the federal government is. Because the federal government has a defined set of things they're supposed to do, and actually in the 10th Amendment it says the rest is deferred to the states comma or to the people.' Instead of focusing on culture wars and ideological talking points, Burgum says he plans to keep his campaign zoned-in on the economy, national security and energy independence.
![Asa Hutchinson: The former Arkansas Governor's participation in the first round of the primaries was only confirmed on the evening of Saturday August 19, after he qualified by surpassing the required 40,000 unique donor threshold. 'I'm running because I believe that I am the right time for America, the right candidate for our country and its future,' he said. Hutchinson served as President George W. Bush's head of the Drug Enforcement Administration and was an undersecretary of the Department of Homeland Security. As governor, Hutchinson championed a series of income tax cuts as the state's budget surpluses grew. He also led efforts to crack down on illegal drugs, particularly methamphetamine. Read the full story: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12432489/The-Republican-debate-2023-eight-candidates-pitching-GOP-voters-none-Donald-Trump-need-know-rivals.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490?ito=msngallery](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/08/22/18/74597255-12433975-Asa_Hutchinson_The_former_Arkansas_Governor_s_participation_in_t-a-196_1692727058837.jpg)
Asa Hutchinson: The former Arkansas Governor's participation in the first round of the primaries was only confirmed on the evening of Saturday August 19, after he qualified by surpassing the required 40,000 unique donor threshold. 'I'm running because I believe that I am the right time for America, the right candidate for our country and its future,' he said. Hutchinson served as President George W. Bush's head of the Drug Enforcement Administration and was an undersecretary of the Department of Homeland Security. As governor, Hutchinson championed a series of income tax cuts as the state's budget surpluses grew. He also led efforts to crack down on illegal drugs, particularly methamphetamine. Read the full story: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12432489/The-Republican-debate-2023-eight-candidates-pitching-GOP-voters-none-Donald-Trump-need-know-rivals.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490?ito=msngallery
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