The former president isn’t on stage. But he is expected to loom large nonetheless.
The stage is set at Fiserv Forum before the first 2023 Republican presidential debate in Milwaukee on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023.
With less than five months until the Iowa caucuses jumpstart the GOP presidential nomination process, the debate is a critical opportunity for lower-polling candidates to introduce themselves to millions of voters, many of whom are just beginning to pay attention to the race. The pressure is greatest for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who announced his campaign in May to great fanfare but has since struggled to gain traction and is now fighting to maintain his distant second-place status.
The debate was being held at the Fiserv Forum in downtown Milwaukee, the arena that is home to the Milwaukee Bucks basketball team. The city will also be the site of next summer’s Republican convention, a sign of the state’s premier battleground status. Even in Trump’s absence, his presence was expected to be felt at the debate. MacCallum had made clear she would press his rivals to respond to Trump’s indictments, telling Vanity Fair that, “It will absolutely be incumbent upon them to address” them.
In his absence, DeSantis’ campaign had prepared for the Florida governor to be the debate’s top target as the front-runner on stage.
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