LIVE play-by-play: GOP rivals square off in debate at Arsht Center. Trump rallies supporters

Former President Donald J. Trump’s supporters arrived en masse, Republican presidential hopefuls faced off at the debate hall and politicians criss-crossed Miami-Dade on Wednesday in an effort to control the narrative of the fight to claim the White House — a campaign that is now less than one year from Election Day.

The Republican National Committee hosted its third debate of the GOP primary at 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis center stage.

Meanwhile, Trump decided to forgo attending the debate. Instead, he threw his own rally across town at 7 p.m. inside Ted Hendricks Stadium at Henry Milander Park, 4700 Palm Ave. in Hialeah — showcasing his grassroots support in one of the most-Hispanic big cities in the country. And not to be left out, Democrats held their own events in town to contrast their agenda with the Republican Party’s.

More than a dozen Miami Herald journalists covered it all throughout the day. Here’s the scoop:

10:30 p.m.: Trump throws shots at other presidential hopefuls, promises historic “deportation operation”

Trump, the Republican presidential primary front-runner, made it known to his crowd of supporters that all eyes are on his Hialeah rally — and not the GOP debate taking place in Miami at the same time.

On stage in Hialeah, he proclaimed, “Nobody’s talking about it. Everybody’s watching us.”

He also mentioned Gov. Ron DeSantis by name and had choice words.

“Remember we got 1.2 million more votes than Ron DeSanctimonious,” Trump said, using his typical nickname for the governor while pledging to win Florida once again.

READ MORE: What debate? Donald Trump dismisses Republican opponents at rally in Hialeah

Should he get reelected, Trump promised to deport a massive amount of immigrants on his first day in the White House.

“On Day One I will terminate every open borders policy of the Biden Administration,” he continued as the crowd’s cheers swelled. “And we will begin the largest domestic deportation operation in American history.”

READ MORE: In majority-immigrant city of Hialeah, Trump promises historic ‘deportation operation’

10 p.m.: Hialeah mayor intends to name an avenue after Trump

An avenue in Hialeah could be named after Trump, according to Mayor Esteban “Steve” Bovo, who announced his intention to do so at Trump’s rally.

“You always kept your promises to this great nation and next week I would be asking the council to be able to authorize a name street after you, Donald Trump Way,” Bovo said.

READ MORE: Hialeah Mayor Bovo tells Trump he wants a street to be named after former president

9:30 p.m.: DeSantis says the state prevented Hamas from taking more hostages during GOP debate

During Wednesday’s Republican debate, DeSantis said there could have been more hostages taken by Hamas after the Oct. 7 attacks if his administration had not funded flights to evacuate U.S. citizens.

DeSantis, who is vying for the presidency, did not offer any evidence to his claim.

READ MORE: DeSantis says Hamas would have taken more hostages if Florida hadn’t sent evacuee flights

8 p.m.: Republican debate kicks off. Here’s what the scene outside looked like

The RNC’s third debate began promptly at 8 p.m. at the Adrienne Arsht Center. It’s being aired on NBC and streaming on NBCNews.com and Peacock. Learn more on where to watch here.

In the hours leading up the event, very few to no supporters or protesters were seen outside the venue. Take a look at the scene:

It was a stark contrast to the rally goers who pulled up to Trump’s event in Hialeah.

7:30 p.m.: Miami Mayor Francis Suarez pops in at RNC debate

Suarez made a brief comment on the upcoming primary in the spin room at the RNC’s third debate. He said his endorsement is “likely” coming before the primary and it appears he’s leaning toward Nikki Haley or Trump.

“I think there’s only two candidates that I think have a real shot at winning the Republican nomination,” he said. “So it’ll probably be one of the two, which is the former president or Governor Haley... She seems to be the only one gaining momentum from the non Trump group of voters. Anything can happen, I’m not committed to that, but that’s sort of where my mind is today.”

After having a failing campaign for the 2024 presidential election season, Suarez said he’s unsure about trying again.

6 p.m.: Trump rally goers dress for the occasion in Hialeah. Take a look

3:30 p.m. Scenes from downtown debate, Trump rally in Hialeah

2:30 p.m. South Florida Democrats speak with LGBTQ community

During an off-the-record discussion, leaders spoke to members of Florida’s LGBTQ Community, including those from civil rights group Equality Florida and nonprofit PRISM, which provides sexual health information to LGBTQ youth.

“This is a very important event for us because LGBTQ rights are under attack, especially in Florida,” Maca Casado, the DNC’s director of Hispanic media, told the Miami Herald.

Maca pointed to the handful of new laws that limit discussions in classrooms regarding gender and gender identity and the efforts to remove from school districts books that discuss LGBTQ issues or include queer characters.

-- SOMMER BRUGAL

2 p.m. Black community discusses key issues with Democrats

Florida Rising, a grassroots group in Florida working to build power in Black and brown communities, hosted an off-the-record discussion in Miami Shores between organizers and DNC chair Jaime Harrison. During the contentious meeting, South Florida residents said they felt overlooked by the DNC and hope things will improve ahead of 2024.

-- MICHAEL BUTLER

1:30 p.m. Democrats plan to place bilingual billboards around debate

Jennifer Bendery, a senior politics reporter with HuffPost, shared photos on X, formerly known as Twitter, of billboards the Democratic National Committee will have circling the Arsht Center. The signs, mostly focused on Trump and DeSantis, are written in both English and Spanish.

Sarah Dean, NBC News’ political campaign embed, earlier Wednesday posted photos of “Dark Brandon” signs the Biden-Harris campaign put up around the venue.

1 p.m. South Florida Democrats chat with Latino voters

Over trays of pastelitos, croquetas, Cuban sandwiches, and cups of café con leche, Democratic leaders met in Doral with Latino activists and voters from across Florida. Nikki Fried, who now heads Florida’s Democratic Party, and Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava were among the officials in attendance.

“...The only way Florida can win, Joe Biden can win, and the nation can win is if in fact we are understanding and recognizing the importance of the Hispanic community, not just here in Florid,a but across the nation,” Fried said. “I know that we, as Democrats, haven’t always done a good job at that.”

-- SYRA ORTIZ BLANES

10:30 a.m. Crowds form early outside Trump rally

Micki Larson-Olson, 54, traveled to Hialeah from Abilene, Texas. She said she believes that Trump doesn’t need to attend any of the Republican debates because the party didn’t help him prove the election was stolen from him.

Larson-Olson, who retired from the Air Force, said she was at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. She was arrested for unlawful trespassing and was behind bars for 180 days.

READ MORE: On same day of GOP debate in Miami, Trump supporters gather hours before Hialeah rally

“Trump is here for us; we have to be here for him,” she said. “He will show force today. How many people would be watching that debate?”

-- VERONICA EGUI BRITO

9:30 a.m. Democrats host counter events

South Florida Democrats also gathered on the day of the GOP debate, hosting a Hispanic diaspora listening session from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Tripping Animals, 2685 NW 105th Ave. in Doral.

There will also be roundtables with members of the Black community from 12 pm to 1:30 p.m. at Florida Rising, 10800 Biscayne Boulevard, and the LGBTQ community from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at 1101 Brickell Ave. on the eighth floor of the South Tower.

9:15 a.m. Expect detours, delays in downtown Miami and Hialeah

Most road closings, around the Arsht Center, which is hosting the GOP debate, will run from 1 p.m. Wednesday to 1 a.m. Thursday.

Closed roads include the exit ramp from the westbound lanes of the MacArthur Causeway to Biscayne Boulevard; Biscayne Boulevard from Northeast 11th to 15th streets; and North Bayshore Drive between Northeast 13th and 15th streets.

READ MORE: Traffic alert: Streets shutting down for Trump rally in Hialeah and GOP debate in Miami

Hialeah will close streets for Trump’s rally around Milander Park, 4700 Palm Ave., from 9 a.m. Wednesday through midnight.

9 a.m. Happy One-Year anniversary of the 2022 midterm elections

Exactly 12 months ago, on Nov. 8, 2022, DeSantis’ prospects as a politician launched into a different stratosphere when he won a second term in the Florida governor’s mansion by more than 19 percentage points.

For many Republicans, the results in swing-state Florida were proof enough that DeSantis was more than just a popular incumbent, he was White House material — an opinion reflected in polling that showed him within reach of former President Donald Trump.

Fast-forward a year, though, and DeSantis is about to hit the debate stage in Miami without Trump, who is so far ahead of the field in national polls that he’s choosing instead to hold a rally across town — while holding firm to his argument that DeSantis and all his other challengers should drop out and get behind him.

What happened?

-- MAX GREENWOOD