2024 Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley said she is ready for the first Republican presidential debate, noting that the many rallies she attended in advance helped prepare her.
Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, said she attended 80 town halls across Iowa and New Hampshire, where attendees were allowed to ask "whatever question they wanted." The first debate for the Republican primary is scheduled for Wednesday night.
UP FOR DEBATE: TRUMP, DESANTIS, AND 2024 GOP HOPEFULS' STANCE ON CRIME
80+ grassroots events, town halls, and rallies make for the best debate prep. No question went unanswered. We’ll see you all in Milwaukee! pic.twitter.com/B8sKjlbKe2
— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) August 20, 2023
"You get the hard questions, you have to give the true answers, and that's the best debate prep I can hope for," Haley said during an appearance on Fox News Sunday. "So we are looking forward to going and being on that debate stage, letting everybody see the options, but we're going to talk about our vision. Our vision for America."
Ahead of the upcoming debate, the Republican candidates who have qualified to speak at the debate include Haley, former President Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Vice President Mike Pence, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND).
Candidates have until Monday night to prove they are eligible for the debate, 48 hours before the Republican National Committee's event in Milwaukee. Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson claimed Sunday that he has qualified, though a person familiar with the verification process told the Washington Examiner that "the RNC has not verified his donors yet and he has not signed the pledge."
Similarly, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez announced Friday that he met the requirements for the first primary debate, but the RNC has also pumped the brakes on those claims.
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While Trump is qualified to partake in the debate, he stated that he will not participate in Wednesday's event. Christie, a vocal critic of the former president, has asked the president to attend the debate and "stop being such a coward."
Wednesday's debate is set to begin at 9 p.m. and will be moderated by Fox News.