GOP primary debate: 8 candidates to take part, Trump to be absent

The stage is set for the Republican Party’s first presidential debate ahead of the polls slated to be held next year. The debate will be attended by eight candidates, and notably, two of them—Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy—are of Indian origin.

Candidates will be discussing a range of urgent topics and the discourse will provide insight into each candidate's focal points and strategies.

When will the GOP debate take place?

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The debate is scheduled for Wednesday (local time) at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It will commence at 9 pm ET (6:30 a.m. Thursday, IST) and will be a two-hour event.

The event will be exclusively covered by Fox News. Hosts Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum will moderate the debate, featuring eight Republican candidates participating in the GOP's first presidential debate.

Trump to be absent

Notably, former President Donald Trump will be absent from the Republican debate stage. He previously mentioned limited political intent to attend, citing his popularity among Republican voters.

Nevertheless, Trump's influence is still expected to dominate the conversation, both within and outside the debate.

Vivek’s magical rise

Vivek Ramaswamy, a 38-year-old tech entrepreneur new to politics, has garnered attention in the lead-up to the primaries. Ramaswamy ranks second, following Trump and tied with Ron DeSantis, in the Republican nomination polls.

Meanwhile, Trump is not attending the debate but that doesn’t give a free hand to other candidates to attack the former president.

Watch:US presidential election 2024: Trump expected to skip GOP debate

Experts predict that other candidates will avoid saying a word against Trump to avoid alienating his supporters, whose votes are crucial for securing the nomination. This reaffirms that Trump’s popularity is quite unique and even his opponents in the GOP acknowledge that.

Polls reveal that most Republicans perceive the charges against Trump as politically motivated, adding complexity to the topic for his opponents.

"He's still in the room because every Republican primary candidate is going to have to take a position on the former president and his legal troubles," Jeanette Hoffman, a Republican political consultant said. "It's a bit of a catch-22 for some candidates. They don't want Trump to be the candidate but they also can't be the one to take him out," he added.

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