WASHINGTON: The Republican Party has announced plans to hold its first US presidential primary debate on August 23, with organizers requiring candidates to sign a pledge committing to support the eventual nominee.
The announcement comes as former president Donald Trump, the current frontrunner in the race, has yet to commit to backing the final nominee, stating in a February radio interview that his support would “depend on who the nominee was.”
Reports in US media last month suggested that Trump was hesitant to share the spotlight with lower-polling rivals and had even considered skipping one or both of the first two debates. The Republican National Committee (RNC) has also set additional requirements for candidates to qualify for the debate stage, including garnering at least one percent of the vote in three approved polls and securing 40,000 unique donors.
Ronna McDaniel, the chairwoman of the RNC, emphasized the party’s commitment to a fair and transparent primary process. “The RNC is committed to putting on a fair, neutral, and transparent primary process, and the qualifying criteria set forth will put our party and eventual nominee in the best position to take back the White House come November 2024,” McDaniel stated.
Trump Desires to Avoid Reagan Library
The first debate will be hosted by Fox News in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, while the second debate is scheduled to take place at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. In May, CNN reported that Trump expressed a desire to avoid the Reagan Library, citing his dissatisfaction with the board of trustees, which is headed by the chief executive officer of The Washington Post—a publication he frequently criticizes.
Milwaukee, with a population of 580,000, is the largest city in Wisconsin—a swing state that Democrat Joe Biden won by a narrow margin of 20,000 votes in the 2020 election. Additionally, Milwaukee is set to host the 2024 Republican National Convention, where the party will officially nominate its candidate for the presidential election.
Currently, the Republican field consists of seven major candidates, with more expected to announce their campaigns next week. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis trails Trump by over 30 points in polling averages, while no other candidate has reached double figures.
