How to watch the second Republican presidential primary debate

Republican presidential candidates will take to the debate stage this week in hopes of drawing support away from former President Trump, who maintains a dominant lead in polls.

The Republican National Committee (RNC) raised the fundraising and polling requirements for candidates to qualify for this second debate, meaning fewer candidates will be on stage compared to the first GOP debate in August.

Trump again plans to skip Wednesday’s debate. He will instead try to steal attention away from his GOP rivals by delivering prime-time remarks in Detroit amid a major strike from the United Auto Workers (UAW).

The former president argued last month that he did not need to join the first debate, citing his large lead in polls, and instead released an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

When is the next debate?

The second GOP presidential debate will take place Wednesday, Sept. 27, at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif. It will air at 9 p.m. Eastern.

Who is hosting the debate?

Fox Business and Univision will host the debate, with Fox hosts Stuart Varney and Dana Perino, as well as Univision’s Ilia Calderón, moderating the event.

Where can I watch it?

The debate will be broadcast on Fox Business Network and Univision, and the RNC said it will also be streamed on video-sharing platform Rumble.

Who will be on the stage?

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, conservative entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former Vice President Mike Pence, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie all appeared to have qualified for the second debate. 

An NBC analysis also reported over the weekend that North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum qualified for the debate stage. Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson has not yet qualified, despite qualifying for the first debate last month.

The RNC has not yet released the official list of candidates slated to take to the stage, but fewer candidates are expected to qualify for the second debate. The party raised the fundraising and polling criteria, requiring candidates to attain at least 50,000 unique donors, including at least 200 from 20 states or territories, up from 40,000 required last time. 

The candidates also must receive at least 3 percent support in two national polls or in one national poll and in two polls of the four early voting states — Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. This is up from last month’s requirement of 1 percent polling.

All candidates must also sign an RNC loyalty pledge, promising to support the GOP nominee. Trump has notably refused to sign such a pledge. 

Why isn’t Trump participating? 

Trump has reiterated that he should not need to participate in a debate when he holds such a strong lead in the polls. The latest Morning Consult poll shows Trump in the lead with 59 percent support, followed by DeSantis with 13 percent, Ramaswamy with 10 percent and Pence and Haley with 5 percent each. 

The former president is instead opting to deliver an address to striking autoworkers in the swing state of Michigan to keep the spotlight on himself Wednesday. This suggests Trump has turned to focus on the general election with President Biden — who carried Michigan in the 2020 election, flipping a state Trump won in 2016.

Updated: 12:50 p.m.