With less than 48 hours to go, the Republican National Committee will hold its first party primary debate of the election cycle. However, there is still uncertainty regarding the attendees and people who will be present at the event.
Certain candidates claim that they have secured a spot on the debate stage, but the Republican National Committee (RNC) has not yet released an official manifest or other relevant documentation. Uncertain is Asa Hutchinson’s qualification for the debate stage.
In addition, it should be noted that there are claims that the Republican National Committee (RNC) intended to allow the presence of Trump’s representatives, with Ronna McDaniel, the RNC chairwoman, extending an invitation to Representative Byron Daniels.
If a candidate doesn’t want to show up for a debate, they have the right. The expectation would then be that said candidate would not be represented on pre and post-debate panels in the spin room. Instead, it’s being reported that Trump surrogates Kari Lake, Rep. Byron Donalds, and Rep. Matt Gaetz, who are attending the debate, are angling to be in the spin room to represent him. It’s also been reported that McDaniel personally invited Rep. Byron Donalds to stand in for Trump in the spin room, and that she’s also got Donald Trump Jr. attending.
Even if one believes Trump is the greatest candidate to ever walk the earth and should be handed the nomination on a silver platter, that’s just a bad way to run things. If a candidate doesn’t bother to show up, then they should be treated as if they didn’t show up. Instead, the RNC appears to be doing its best to accommodate the frontrunner outside the bounds of what most would consider fair.
Fox News has communicated to the Trump administration that his surrogates will not be granted permission, expressing displeasure with the situation.
NEW: Fox News, which is hosting the first GOP primary debate, informed the Trump campaign today they will no longer allow surrogates for the former president to attend the debate in Milwaukee given Trump is not planning on participating, 3 sources with direct knowledge tell @CNN
— Alayna Treene (@alaynatreene) August 21, 2023
CNN’s Alayna Treene, a political correspondent, reported that Trump team members and his representatives intend to travel to Milwaukee. Moreover, it would appear that they are currently in negotiations with the network.
“The former president’s aides also believe they will be able to find new credentials, one of the advisers said,” she also reported on Twitter, “and are confident they will be in the spin room on Wednesday.”
This statement implies that Fox News has no intention of granting Trump’s surrogates access to the Spin Room, although some surrogates may still obtain credentials through alternative media organizations. It is conceivable that they will be present at the venue, but they may not be permitted to participate in Fox’s event or the media coverage associated with it.
The relative intellectual capacity of Fox News and the Republican National Committee (RNC) is one factor to contemplate. Moreover, it is noteworthy that President Trump intends to engage in competition with Fox News, primarily through the strategic use of Tucker Carlson. Fox has little incentive to provide access to surrogates of an absent candidate if that candidate is actively campaigning against the event.
The Trump administration’s expectation that Fox will express contentment appears to lack foresight and strategic thinking. Furthermore, it appears extremely imprudent for the Republican National Committee (RNC) leadership to anticipate a positive response from Fox in this matter.
To clarify that the RNC controls the debate guest list while Fox News controls credentials for the Spin Room, CNN correspondent Alayna Treene deleted her original tweet claiming Fox News would not permit Trump surrogates to attend the debate.
Deleted a previous tweet to clarify my reporting:
Fox News, which is hosting the first GOP primary debate, informed the Trump campaign on Monday they will no longer provide credentials to some Trump surrogates to attend the spin room given Trump is not planning on participating— Alayna Treene (@alaynatreene) August 22, 2023
Members of Trump’s campaign, including his senior advisers, were also planning on being in the spin room.
But Fox News is in charge of credentials for the spin room. The RNC manages credentials for the actual debate, and sources said those tickets are still expected be honored.
— Alayna Treene (@alaynatreene) August 22, 2023
Members of Trump's teams and his surrogates, however, are still planning on traveling to Milwaukee and are working on a resolution with the network as well as the RNC, two Trump advisers told CNN
— Alayna Treene (@alaynatreene) August 22, 2023