When is the fifth Republican candidate debate? Start time, candidates and how to watch
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Presidential hopefuls are rallying themselves ahead of the fifth Republican debate in Iowa tonight as the 2024 nomination process gets underway next week.
Only two candidates, Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis, will take to the stage this time after Donald Trump decided to counterprogramme the debate with a televised Fox News town hall scheduled for the same time. Other candidates did not meet the CNN threshold to qualify.
On Monday, Iowa Republicans will caucus to choose a presidential candidate.
During the December debate in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Haley, the former South Carolina governor, was accused of being “corrupt” and in thrall to Wall Street’s liberal elite donors by Ramaswamy and DeSantis, the Florida governor.
In response, she said her rivals were jealous of Democratic donations to her campaign, with polls showing she has risen to become Trump’s closest rival.
Meanwhile, Trump has refused to back down over his refusal to attend the events, instead hosting rival speeches and interviews at the same time in a bid to sway audience attention.
When is the fifth Republican debate?
The next debate will take place on January 10 in Des Moines, Iowa at Drake University at 9 p.m. E.T. The event will be moderated by CNN anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash.
Currently, Trump holds around 50 per cent of Republican support in the state, according to the polling aggregator FiveThirtyEight.
However, Haley, a former UN ambassador and former South Carolina governor, has gained some momentum in the polls, hovering around 15 percent, while DeSantis, the Florida governor, sits around 17 per cent, FiveThirtyEight figures show. This raises a challenge to Trump’s plans to swiftly clear the Republican field.
Where to watch the debate
The event will air live on CNN, as well as being streamed on CNN.com, CNN Max and CNN apps if viewing via a connected television or mobile device. A subscription will be required for CNN Max.
It can also be watched through any subscription service carrying CNN, including Hulu+Live TV, YouTubeTV, DirecTV Stream, Fubo and Sling TV.
Who is attending?
Only three candidates qualified for tonight’s event, but after Trump’s decision not to attend, just Haley and DeSantis will be taking part.
Neither Chris Christie, the former New Jersey Governor, nor Vivek Ramaswamy, a businessman, met the CNN qualification threshold. Ramaswamy is scheduled to participate in a competing debate with podcaster Tim Pool instead.
What is Trump doing instead?
Rather than attend any of the past debates, Trump has instead hosted rival events including interviews and campaign rallies.
Today, Trump will be participating in a live counterprogramming town hall on Fox News, which is scheduled to air at the same time as the CNN debate.
Moderated by Fox News anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, the town hall will also take place in Iowa.
Mr Trump adopted similar tactics during the fourth debate, when he chose to host a fundraiser instead of attending the event in Alabama. Super PAC, Trump’s campaign, rallied in support of the former president, calling the Alabama debate a “waste of time, money and energy” in the “battle for second place”.
What issues will the candidates be quizzed on?
It is not clear exactly what questions will be asked, but it seems likely issues such as immigration, the economy and US foreign policy will be front and centre, as in previous debates.
During the fourth event in Alabama, DeSantis and Haley locked horns on issues such as being soft on China and transgender healthcare for children. However, both offered support for Israel’s offensive in Gaza, having previously discussed the implications of the war against Hamas.
