DeSantis will debate Nikki Haley one-on-one next week in Iowa on CNN

The fifth Republican presidential debate of the election cycle — and the last one before the Iowa caucuses — will be an intimate affair next week, with only Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley scheduled to participate.

The two will engage in a CNN forum to be held on Jan. 10 at Drake University in Des Moines.

Donald Trump, who leads the GOP field by an overwhelming majority in all national and early-state election surveys, is once again opting not to participate. On Tuesday, Fox News announced that it will host a town hall with the former president at the same time in Des Moines, at 9 p.m. Eastern time.

The DeSantis campaign blasted the decision by the former president to blow off the latest presidential debate.

“We understand Donald Trump is scared to get on the stage because he’d have to finally explain why he didn’t build the wall, added nearly $8 trillion to the debt, and turned the country over to Fauci,” Andrew Romeo, communications director for the DeSantis campaign, wrote on X.

“But even Gavin Newsom had the courage to stand on the stage to debate his own failed record against Ron Desantis. If it would make the debate more inviting, we would gladly agree to make it a seated format where the former president would be more comfortable.”

Failure to qualify

CNN announced Tuesday that only Trump, DeSantis, and Haley had qualified for the debate, meaning they have received 10% support in three separate national and/or Iowa polls of Republican caucus-goers or primary voters that meet CNN’s standards for reporting, the network reported on its website.

“With only three candidates qualifying, it’s time for Donald Trump to show up,” Haley said in a press release. “As the debate stage continues to shrink, it’s getting harder for Donald Trump to hide.”

This will be the first debate without entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy or former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie participating.

“CNN is an embarrassment. Out with corrupt media,” Ramaswamy wrote on X. He announced earlier on the social media site that he instead will do a live show on the same night of the debate with conservative commentator Tim Pool.

Christie said on Wednesday on MSNBC’s Morning Joe program that he has not campaigned at all in Iowa, and therefore knew he wouldn’t be eligible for the debate.

CNN will also feature DeSantis and Haley separately in back-to-back town hall meetings scheduled to take place this Thursday night, Jan.4.

The cable news network announced last month that CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins will moderate the town hall with DeSantis at 9 p.m. eastern time from Grand View University in Des Moines. CNN anchor Erin Burnett will then moderate the town hall with Haley at 10 p.m. eastern time, also from Grand View University.

Information about the town hall meetings in Iowa and Chris Christie’s reaction to not appearing in next week’s GOP president debate was added on Jan.3, 2024.