Fox News to host GOP primary debate after Dominion defamation trial

Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel announced that Fox News will host the first official debate of the 2024 Republican presidential primary in Milwaukee, The New York Times reported.

“We are going to host the very first debate with Fox News. It will be a Fox News Republican primary debate,” McDaniel said on Fox and Friends this Wednesday, adding that all participants will be asked to pledge their loyalty to the eventual GOP nominee.

“...if I said I wouldn’t support the nominee of our party, I’d be kicked out,” she said. “So why would we host a debate stage without every candidate saying I’m going to support whoever the voters choose, and the voters want that.”

“It’s about beating Joe Biden,” she added.

So far, Donald Trump, Nikki Haley, former governor of Arkansas Asa Hutchinson, entrepreneur and author Vivek Ramaswamy, and businessman Perry Johnson have officially entered the race.

The announcement was made as the day before Dominion Voting Systems and Fox News are scheduled to head to trial over Fox’s coverage of false election-rigging claims. The voting tech company is suing the network for $1.6 billion, claiming they were defamed when network hosts suggested the company's technology had a hand in mass voter fraud during the 2020 election.