Fox News announced its plans to partner with former President Trump to host a town hall in Des Moines, Iowa, on Jan. 10, which will air concurrently with CNN’s GOP primary debate.
This is Trump’s latest attempt to divert attention from his 2024 Republican opponents by not showing up at the debate. The event will air in the same time slot as the presidential debate on CNN. Fox News says the event “focuses on the most important issues facing voters ahead of the Iowa caucuses.”
“At the town hall, for the first time since May 2020, the former president will meet together with Baier and MacCallum. In June 2023, Baier received praise from both sides of the aisle for his interview with former President Trump,” the network reports. Fox said the anchors who covered the first GOP debate drew more than 13 million viewers, making it “the most-watched debate of the 2024 cycle.”
The fifth GOP debate will be the first not recognized by the Republican National Committee after enormous pressure to limit the presidential nominating contest left Trump’s poll unchallenged by his rivals.
According to Trending Politics, Ohio businessman and GOP candidate Vivek Ramaswamy recently criticized RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel, who has “emphasized grassroots pro-Trump sentiment by adopting a posture that leads observers to believe he is seeking a spot on the former president’s ticket.” – reports Trending Politics.
Following their announcement, Ramaswamy sharply criticized CNN, saying he would instead participate in a town hall with conservative media personality Tim Poole.
On the other hand, Haley called on Trump to participate in the CNN debate.
“As the debate shrinks, it becomes increasingly difficult for Donald Trump to hide,” she wrote in X.
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) and former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley (R-S.C.) will likely be the only candidates to take the stage, which will air just days before Iowa’s Jan. 15 general election.
The network reported that Haley and DeSantis were the only Republican Party candidates to exceed the electoral threshold and qualify for the debate.
