Fox Business to Host Second GOP Presidential Debate

Ronna McDaniel, chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, in Dana Point, Calif., on Jan. 27, 2023. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

The Republican National Committee announced on Aug. 9 that Fox Business will host the second official Republican presidential debate of 2024. This means the conservative Fox outlets will be hosts of the party’s first two debates.

It is unknown whether the frontrunner, former President Donald Trump, will attend the event. President Trump has stated that he will not attend the first Republican debate scheduled for Aug. 23 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which will air on Fox News, a division of Fox News Media.

Ronna McDaniel, chairwoman of the Republican National Committee (RNC), said in a statement that the second debate will be held on Sept. 27 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum in Simi Valley, California, in partnership with Univision and Rumble.

“I am excited to announce that our second Republican primary debate will be in partnership with Fox Business, Rumble, Univision, and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, which will serve as an iconic venue for the debate.

“We are looking forward to continuing our fair, neutral, and transparent primary process in Simi Valley to elect the next President of the United States,” said Ms. McDaniel, according to a press release from the organization.

Mr. Jay Wallace, the President and Executive Editor of Fox News Media, also offered a statement about the decision, saying, “Fox Business is proud to partner with Univision for the second Republican primary debate from the renowned Ronald Reagan Presidential Library to provide all Americans with an unparalleled opportunity to assess the candidates and their stances on critical issues ahead of the primary season.”

Changes for Second Debate

Ms. McDaniel outlined new criteria for the second Republican primary debate during an Aug. 2 interview, signaling an increase in event requirements.

To qualify for the second debate, candidates must meet a higher threshold. That will include needing at least three percent support in two national polls or three percent in one national poll as well as three percent in two polls from four of the early-voting states, namely Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina.

Additionally, the candidates for the White House must have at least 50,000 unique donors, with at least 200 of them originating from at least 20 states or territories, and all the requirements must be met at least two days before the debate.

“You don’t go to the Olympics unless you pass the prelims, right? This is the Olympic stage, the Republican Party primary. And there’s going to be criteria that you have to meet to be on that stage,” Ms. McDaniel said during the Aug. 2 interview on Fox News’s “America’s Newsroom.”

Eight candidates have already qualified for the first debate: former President Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, and former Vice President Mike Pence.

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, despite significant name recognition, has met some of the polling requirements for the first debate but has yet to obtain the required number of individual donors.

The requirements for the first debate were released on June 2. For that debate, candidates who have declared their candidacy need to receive at least one percent in three national polls, or one percent in two national polls and two state-specific polls from Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada. The RNC also requires candidates to have 40,000 distinct donors for the first event.

Possibly the most contentious requirement, which applies to both debates, was the RNC’s stipulation that candidates commit to a pledge, including the promise to offer their support to the eventual GOP nominee and not participate in any debates not sanctioned by the party.

Debate Support

Fox News anchors seem to be doing their best to try to convince the Republican frontrunner to participate in the first debate, despite President Trump’s suggestion that he may boycott the event due to his large polling lead and his less-than-friendly relationship with the network as of late.

“Thinking of the big debate coming up, and I’m not saying this to sell the debate, it’s a great debate and would be great if the president and all the candidates could make it, but if you’re Donald Trump and this is all everyone is talking about, and you own all the oxygen in the room, wouldn’t you want to be in that room?” Fox News host Neil Cavuto said during his 4 p.m. show, “Your World,” on Aug 3.

Piers Morgan, who is in the rotation of “Fox News Tonight” hosts, challenged President Trump, saying, “Show us what you’re made of.”

“Donald Trump is many things,” Mr. Morgan said last week during a discussion with Kellyanne Conway. “But in all the time I’ve known him, I’ve never known him to duck a challenge or be a coward. So, if you’re watching, Donald, come on.”

While President Trump hasn’t indicated that he plans to give in to the requests to attend either debate, there has been additional support for the event from organizations partnering with the RNC for the event.

Rumble Chairman and CEO Mr. Chris Pavlovski said in the RNC press release that “Rumble is excited to be the exclusive live streaming partner of the RNC for the second Republican primary debate. We look forward to continuing to build an online home for debate on a stage that we promise will remain free from censorship and Big Tech bias.”