Trump Plans for CNN’s Iowa GOP Debate Revealed

Former President Donald Trump surprised many by announcing on Tuesday that he will participate in the upcoming Iowa GOP presidential debate.

Fox News and CNN are battling to cover and host debates. The Daily Caller reported that on Dec. 7, CNN announced it would be hosting Republican presidential debates on Jan. 10 at Drake University in Iowa and on Jan. 21 in New Hampshire.

CNN announced that only three candidates qualified to participate in their debate: former President Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley.

The CNN debates are not sanctioned by the Republican National Committee (RNC). Trump has elected to bypass CNN debates and participate in a Fox News debate with moderators Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum.

According to a press release, Fox News scheduled a presidential Town Hall debate/discussion event to compete with CNN’s presidential debate. Both events are scheduled for Jan. 10.

Notably, the former president has not participated in the four GOP presidential debates in 2023, though he has maintained an active schedule of “Trump rallies” which have been well attended.

Candidate Nikki Haley has encouraged Trump to share in CNN’s presidential debate. The former United Nations Ambassador said: “With only three candidates qualifying, it’s time for Donald Trump to show up.”

Taunting her former boss, Haley said: “As the debate stage continues to shrink, it’s getting harder for Donald Trump to hide.”

Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis will participate in the CNN debate. Former President Trump and Vivek Ramaswamy will participate in the Fox News Town Hall event.

In December, ABC News reported it would be working with WMUR-TV to host a Republican presidential debate on Jan. 18 at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire. It is not clear who will be participating in that event.

The RNC had previously forbade GOP candidates from participating in unsanctioned debate events. That rule was rescinded in early December.

Some believe Fox News is moving away from conservative programming and that the invitation for Trump to participate in a Town Hall event is part of a strategy to support President Biden’s reelection bid by showing Trump in a negative light.

President Joe Biden has stated he will not participate in Democratic primary debates. Following his lead, DNC officials have not scheduled any official primary season debates. Several candidates, however, are expected to debate in televised events.

Scroll down to leave a comment and share your thoughts.