Republican debate: Start time, candidates, how to watch and stream

Seven presidential candidates will take the stage Wednesday night for the second Republican debate of the 2024 election, but once again, Republicans watching at home will be asking: Where is former President Donald Trump?

Trump, who remains the front-runner for the Republican nomination despite facing four criminal indictments, has decided not to participated in the second debate, which will air on Fox Business and Univision at 9 p.m. Philadelphia time.

Instead, Trump is scheduled to speak at 8 p.m. to a crowd of non-union workers at an auto parts manufacturer and supplier in the suburbs of Detroit. His visit to Michigan comes one day after President Joe Biden traveled to the Detroit region and joined striking United Auto Workers on their picket line — a first for a sitting president.

Trump’s visit also follows a series of heated threats on social media that have alarmed journalists and academics. Trump says that, if he is reelected, he will investigate Philadelphia-based Comcast, the parent company of NBCUniversal, over reporting from NBC News and MSNBC. Trump also suggested that Mark Milley, outgoing chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who Trump appointed in 2019, deserved to be executed.

“Trump’s rhetoric is dangerous, not just because it is the exact sort that incites violence against public officials but also because it shows just how numb the country has grown toward threats more typical of broken, authoritarian regimes,” Brian Klass, an associate professor of global politics at University College London, wrote in the Atlantic.

» READ MORE: Comcast silent on attack from Donald Trump while Josh Shapiro cashes in on the ire

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who hasn’t gained much traction since entering the race in May, will stand center stage Wednesday night between former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. Joining them on the stage will be North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, and former Vice President Mike Pence.

Also in attendance: former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who ruled out running against indicted New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez. Christie’s second presidential campaign has failed to generate broad support among Republicans, but the former Trump booster-turned-vocal critic thinks his focus on New Hampshire has the potential to flip the entire primary.

“I’m telling you, if I beat Donald Trump in New Hampshire, and I plan to do so, that his sense of invincibility, his sense of inevitability will go away,” Christie said on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday. “Momentum is everything in this race, and I’ll establish it in New Hampshire.”

Here’s everything you need to know to watch or stream the second Republican debate of the 2024 election cycle:

Wednesday’s Republican debate, the second of the 2024 election cycle, is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. Eastern and end at 11 p.m. at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute in Simi Valley, Calif. It will be hosted by Fox Business and Univision. The debate will stream live for free on FoxNews.com and Rumble, a conservative social media platform.

Eight candidates appear to have qualified for tonight’s debate, including former President Donald Trump. Trump once again will skip the proceedings. Here are the seven candidates who are to appear on the stage this evening, in alphabetical order:

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson failed to qualify for the second debate after making it to the stage in Milwaukee during the first contest last month. Despite that, he plans to continue his 2024 presidential campaign with events scheduled in Iowa, New Hampshire, and elsewhere over the next several weeks.

“My goal is to increase my polling numbers to 4% in an early state before Thanksgiving,” Hutchinson said in a statement. “If that goal is met, then I remain competitive and in contention for either Caucus Day or Primary Day.”

Tonight’s debate will feature three moderators:

We’re still several months away from the first votes being cast in the 2024 presidential election. Pennsylvania’s primary is scheduled for April 23, although that date is expected to be changed because it falls on Passover, while New Jersey Republicans won’t vote in the primary until June 4.

Super Tuesday, which includes primary elections in 15 states and features the largest number of Republican delegates up for grabs in a single day, will take place on March 5.

Here is a rundown of the early Republican contests:

» READ MORE: Pa. lawmakers want to move up the 2024 presidential primary, but still haven’t agreed on a new date

It’s unclear how many debates the Republican National Committee have approved this cycle — so far, it has announced just three debates. In the 2016 election, where there wasn’t an incumbent, there were 12 Republican debates.

A third GOP debate is scheduled for Nov. 8 in Miami, and candidates will need to reach 4% support in multiple polls and secure 70,000 unique donors, according to the Republican National Committee. It’s unclear which network will broadcast the debate, and who will moderate.