Trump is expected to attend a super PAC fundraiser tonight instead of the GOP primary debate
From CNN's Kristen Holmes and Alayna Treene
While GOP presidential hopefuls duke it out on stage at the fourth Republican primary debate in Alabama tonight, former President Donald Trump is expected to attend a fundraiser in Hallandale Beach, Florida, to raise money for MAGA, Inc., the super PAC supporting his candidacy, multiple sources told CNN.
A text message sent from his campaign to supporters last month announced the “VIP reception” and told recipients that if they donated to Trump’s campaign, they would be automatically entered to win a trip to meet the former president at an end-of-year reception on December 6, the same day as the debate.
Trump’s campaign has called on the Republican National Committee to cancel all future debates.
With just weeks until the Iowa caucuses, the former president is the Republican primary’s clear leader in both national and early state polling. Even as Trump battles 91 criminal counts across four indictments, his fellow GOP candidates have largely abstained from taking him on – paving a path of little resistance for the Republican frontrunner as others are forced to spend significant resources to stay relevant.
The RNC has heightened the qualification criteria for the fourth debate. To appear on stage in Tuscaloosa, candidates will need to reach 80,000 unique donors with at least 200 in 20 states or territories and register at least 6% in two qualifying national polls or in one national poll and two polls from separate early voting states: Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina or Nevada. Similar to conditions for past debates, the RNC continues to require candidates to sign a pledge committing to support the eventual GOP nominee.
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These are the 4 GOP candidates who will face off in tonight's debate
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie will face off in Tuscaloosa in what will be the smallest debate stage lineup so far this year. Former President Donald Trump, the front-runner for the GOP nomination, will skip the event, as he has all previous debates and will instead attend a fundraiser in Florida for a super PAC supporting his candidacy.
Monday’s announcement came with just six weeks to go until the Iowa caucuses open the 2024 GOP nomination calendar and as DeSantis and Haley compete fiercely to be seen as the top primary rival to Trump.
Threshold to qualify: To make the Tuscaloosa stage, candidates had to meet higher donor and polling criteria set by the Republican National Committee. They had to have at least 80,000 unique donors, with at least 200 in 20 states or territories. They also had to register at least 6% in two qualifying national polls or in one national poll and two polls from separate early-voting states: Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina or Nevada. Similar to conditions for past debates, the RNC also required candidates to sign a pledge committing to support the eventual GOP nominee.
Earlier in the day, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum pushed back at the RNC’s tightening of the debate qualification thresholds while announcing that he was ending his campaign for the GOP nomination. Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson remains in the GOP race, though he has not qualified for any primary debates since his appearance at the first face-off in Milwaukee in August.
Meanwhile, ahead of the debate, officials from President Joe Biden’s campaign and several prominent Democrats, including former Alabama Sen. Doug Jones, plan to hold a news conference Wednesday in Tuscaloosa to highlight “how Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans’ agenda is on display in Alabama and the stakes of the 2024 election,” according to a news release from the Biden campaign.
Tonight's rematch: Four GOP candidates — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie — are preparing to face off tonight in Alabama in the fourth presidential debate of the 2024 cycle.
All eyes on Iowa: DeSantis and Haley are jockeying to emerge as the main alternative to former President Donald Trump for the GOP nomination, with less than six weeks until the primary contests kick off with the Iowa caucuses. Haley has been gaining momentum ahead of tonight's debate after securing influential GOP donors.
Trump a no-show again: The former president will skip the event and instead attend a super PAC fundraiser in Florida. He continues to be the dominant GOP frontrunner in national and early state polling — even as he battles 91 criminal charges across four separate cases.
While GOP presidential hopefuls duke it out on stage at the fourth Republican primary debate in Alabama tonight, former President Donald Trump is expected to attend a fundraiser in Hallandale Beach, Florida, to raise money for MAGA, Inc., the super PAC supporting his candidacy, multiple sources told CNN.
A text message sent from his campaign to supporters last month announced the “VIP reception” and told recipients that if they donated to Trump’s campaign, they would be automatically entered to win a trip to meet the former president at an end-of-year reception on December 6, the same day as the debate.
Trump’s campaign has called on the Republican National Committee to cancel all future debates.
With just weeks until the Iowa caucuses, the former president is the Republican primary’s clear leader in both national and early state polling. Even as Trump battles 91 criminal counts across four indictments, his fellow GOP candidates have largely abstained from taking him on – paving a path of little resistance for the Republican frontrunner as others are forced to spend significant resources to stay relevant.
The RNC has heightened the qualification criteria for the fourth debate. To appear on stage in Tuscaloosa, candidates will need to reach 80,000 unique donors with at least 200 in 20 states or territories and register at least 6% in two qualifying national polls or in one national poll and two polls from separate early voting states: Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina or Nevada. Similar to conditions for past debates, the RNC continues to require candidates to sign a pledge committing to support the eventual GOP nominee.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie will face off in Tuscaloosa in what will be the smallest debate stage lineup so far this year. Former President Donald Trump, the front-runner for the GOP nomination, will skip the event, as he has all previous debates and will instead attend a fundraiser in Florida for a super PAC supporting his candidacy.
Monday’s announcement came with just six weeks to go until the Iowa caucuses open the 2024 GOP nomination calendar and as DeSantis and Haley compete fiercely to be seen as the top primary rival to Trump.
Threshold to qualify: To make the Tuscaloosa stage, candidates had to meet higher donor and polling criteria set by the Republican National Committee. They had to have at least 80,000 unique donors, with at least 200 in 20 states or territories. They also had to register at least 6% in two qualifying national polls or in one national poll and two polls from separate early-voting states: Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina or Nevada. Similar to conditions for past debates, the RNC also required candidates to sign a pledge committing to support the eventual GOP nominee.
Earlier in the day, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum pushed back at the RNC’s tightening of the debate qualification thresholds while announcing that he was ending his campaign for the GOP nomination. Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson remains in the GOP race, though he has not qualified for any primary debates since his appearance at the first face-off in Milwaukee in August.
Meanwhile, ahead of the debate, officials from President Joe Biden’s campaign and several prominent Democrats, including former Alabama Sen. Doug Jones, plan to hold a news conference Wednesday in Tuscaloosa to highlight “how Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans’ agenda is on display in Alabama and the stakes of the 2024 election,” according to a news release from the Biden campaign.
