The Republican National Committee said Thursday its very first Presidential Debate of 2024 will take place this August in Milwaukee.
Among the details that have not yet been finalized is the exact date for the debate. However, a small group of RNC members met behind closed doors in Washington this week to begin the task of hammering out logistics for what is expected to be a crowded GOP presidential primary field.
Already former President Trump announced his reelection bid in November 2022. He was followed this Valentine’s Day by his Administration’s former Ambassador to the U.N., former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.
Haley is among those who’ve recently been making the rounds in Iowa—a telling sign of presidential aspirations. Others include her fellow South Carolinian Sen. Tim Scott and Trump’s former Vice President Mike Pence.
Trump has been notably absent from Iowa, but he did hold a kickoff rally on January 28 in South Carolina, where his 2016 primary victory sealed his position as that year’s GOP frontrunner.
The politician whom polls currently show to be Trump’s most formidable competition is Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida. His team has been actively preparing for a 2024 presidential run, and has reportedly identified potential staff in early primary states including Iowa and New Hampshire.
One long-shot Republican presidential candidate is Vivek Ramaswamy, a 37-year-old multimillionaire entrepreneur and author, who announced on Fox News this month that he was tossing his hat into the ring, as well.
In selecting Milwaukee, the RNC is following its recent tradition of hosting its kick-off presidential debate in the city that’s set to play host to its national convention the following year.
“At this time, no other debates have been sanctioned, nor has the final criteria for the first debate been decided,” RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel wrote in a message to committee members Thursday. “We have a long way to go, but I am confident we will be able to showcase our eventual nominee in a world class fashion.”
The RNC is considering between 10 and 12 presidential debates between August and its national convention in the summer of 2024.
