The next Republican debate is scheduled for Thursday, January 28, from 9 PM to 11 PM Eastern Time, with the undercard debate going from 7 PM to 9 PM. It will be taking place at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines, and candidates like Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, Jeb Bush, and more will be there. The one that won't be there is the frontrunner Donald Trump and refuses to show due to Fox News, the network hosting the debate.
As we previously reported, we announced that the main stage would probably be Donald Trump, Senator Ted Cruz, Senator Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, as well Florida Governor Jeb Bush, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, and possibly Ohio Governor John Kasich. That would be the main stage, and the junior stage would be Senator Rand Paul, Carly Fiorina, Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, and former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum.
By now, it has been reported that Donald Trump will not be attending the debate, which puts the Senator Rand Paul with Cruz, Rubio, Carson, Christie, as well as John Kasich and Jeb Bush on the main stage. The undercard debate will be Carly Fiorina, Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum, with an addition of Jim Gilmore, who didn't make it to an undercard debate since the first GOP debate in August. This is according to USA Today, and could be scheduled to change with Trump's absence.
So why won't Trump be there? The Washington Post states that much of it is due to not getting along with Fox News, who will be televising the debate. Specifically, Trump believes that Fox (as well as other television networks) have been taking advantage of him by selling ads for their debates at a high premium.
Part of it is also Trump's feud with Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly, who is serving as the host of the debate along with Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace, and Special Reports host Bret Baier, the same three hosts for the first Republican debate in August of 2015. In a recent interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, he discussed his issues with Kelly saying "I don't like her" and "she doesn't treat me fairly".
Apparently, Trump is very settled on the matter of keeping himself out of the debate, and does not intend to reverse his position even though he did qualify for the debate. He would be the first candidate that ever did anything like this, in a move many are calling unprecedented.
If you want to live stream the debate, that is possible. According to the Observer, Fox News confirmed in a statement today that it will live stream Thursday's GOP Debate to everyone without authentication. This means that those with an Internet connection but no TV can watch online on Fox News website.
The Republicans have their next three debates scheduled for the month of February, according to a separate source from The Washington Post. The first will be on February 6, at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire, and it will be broadcasted by ABC News, moderated by David Muir and Martha Raddatz. The next debate after the February 6th one will take place on Saturday, February 13 at The Peace Center in Greenville, South Carolina, and will air on CBS News, moderated by John Dickerson. The next Republican debate will take place on Thursday, February 25 at the University of Houston, and will air on CNN and Telemundo. None of them will be televised on Fox News, but there is one slated for March 2016 that is. It will be interesting to see how that plays out.
As for the next Democratic Primary Debate, it will take place on Thursday, February 11 at UW-Milwaukee, and it will air on PBS, moderated by Gwen Ifill and Judy Woodruff.
