The first Republican Presidential debate is slated for later this month on Fox News and the network has created the ground rules for the event.
The debate — hosted in Milwaukee on August 23rd — will being at 9:00 PM and will last two hours. Fox News anchors Martha MacCallum and Bret Baier will moderate the event, with questions also being submitted by students of the Young Americans Foundation.
Opening statements will not be made by the candidates. Those on stage will be offered one minute for answers, 30 seconds for follow-ups, and a 45-second closing statement. Additionally, Fox News has told candidates to be prepared for a pair of commercial breaks running three to four minutes, which will allow candidates to use the restroom and receive hair and makeup touchups.
However, campaign staffers will not be permitted backstage at any time.
So far, eight candidates have qualified for the first debate after the Republican National Committee set guidelines for who can participate.
The list of candidates that have qualified for the first debate includes:
Donald Trump
Ron DeSantis
Mike Pence
Tim Scott
Nikki Haley
Vivek Ramaswamy
Chris Christie
Doug Burgum
It remains to be seen if former President Donald Trump will attend the first debate. He has previously declared he would receive no benefit from participating. Fox News officials have reportedly met with the former President urging him to participate. Trump, however, has referred to Fox News as a “hostile network” in an interview with Breitbart.
