When is the fourth Republican candidate debate? Start time, candidates and how to watch

Republican presidential hopefuls are rallying themselves ahead of the fourth Republican debate in Alabama tonight.

Only four candidates will take the stage this time after the Republican National Committee (RNC) announced that candidates would need to meet more stringent polling requirements to appear at the event in Alabama.

At the third debate in October, Nikki Haley ruffled feathers by calling Vivek Ramaswamy “scum” over his comment on her daughter’s use of TikTok.

Mr Trump has refused to back down over his refusal to attend the events, having hosted rival speeches and interviews at the same time as the last two debates in a bid to sway audience attention.

When is the fourth Republican debate?

The next debate will take place on Dec 6 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Alabama has remained a Republican stronghold since 1980 and is expected to remain the same in next year’s election.

Where to watch the debate

NewsNation, The Megyn Kelly Show on SiriusXM and the Washington Free Beacon will host the event.

It will also be livestreamed on Rumble, a video-sharing platform popular with some conservatives.

Who is attending?

Only four candidates will compete in the debate tonight after the RNC tightened the requirements to compete.

Candidates were required to receive six per cent support in at least two national polls, or both six per cent in one national poll and six per cent in one statewide poll in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina or Nevada.

They also needed at least 80,000 unique donors, and 200 donors from each of 20 or more states and territories, the RNC stipulated.

Ms Haley, Mr DeSantis, Mr Ramaswamy and Chris Christie, the governor of New Jersey, have qualified.

Doug Burgum, governor of North Dakota, failed to quality for the debate and dropped out of the race entirely on Monday.

Although he easily meets the qualifications, Donald Trump maintains that he will not be attending.

What is Trump doing instead?

Instead of attending the debates, Mr Trump has instead hosted rival events including interviews and campaign rallies.

Today, for the first time, Mr Trump will not be holding a public counterprogramming event and will instead hold a private fundraiser for his campaign, according to reports.

The former president will attend a ‘VIP reception’ in Hallandale Beach, Florida, on the same day as the debate, CNN reports.

“The public knows who I am and what a successful presidency I had,” the former president wrote on Truth Social in August. “I will therefore not be doing the debates.”

For the third debate, Mr Trump held a rally in Hialeah, South Florida while during the second, he skipped the event deliver a speech in front of union workers in Detroit.

When the first took place he released a pre-recorded interview with conservative commentator and former Fox anchor Tucker Carlson.

What issues will the candidates be quizzed on?

Its not clear exactly what questions will be asked, but during the last debate foreign policy remained front and centre of the conversation as candidates discussed the implications of Israel’s war against Hamas.

The Megyn Kelly Show host Megyn Kelly, news anchor Elizabeth Vargas, and Washington Free Beacon editor in chief Eliana Johnson are slated to moderate the event.

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