Trump holds Fox News town hall to counter CNN Iowa debate with DeSantis and Haley

Fox News is set to hold a town hall event in Des Moines, Iowa, with former President Donald Trump on Jan. 10 at 9 p.m. Eastern time, a move that directly competes with CNN‘s Iowa GOP primary debate held on the same night at the same time.

The Fox News Trump event, announced on Tuesday, marks the former president’s fifth time snubbing a debate matchup with his 2024 Republican rivals. He has skipped all four primary debates sponsored by the Republican National Committee.

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Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum will co-moderate the Trump town hall for the first time since May 2020, when Trump last sat down for an interview with the pair. The Jan. 10 town hall, just five days before the Iowa caucuses, also marks Trump’s return to holding counterevents during GOP debate nights.

He held a competing event during the first three GOP debates, including the first one in late August, which was co-sponsored with Fox News. But the former president did not seek to take attention from his rivals during last month’s fourth GOP debate in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

CNN’s debate on Jan. 10 required candidates to reach at least 10% in three national or Iowa polls, but only Trump, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley have met the qualifications.

Vivek Ramaswamy also announced on Tuesday he will participate in a live studio town hall with podcast host Tim Pool, as it appears he likely won’t make the CNN debate qualification deadline on Tuesday. “Forget @CNN’s fake Iowa ‘debate’ on Jan 10 which will be the most boring in modern history,” he posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “We’re doing a live-audience show that night in Des Moines with @Timcast instead. Won’t hold back.”

Trump dominates his competitors at 62.5%, according to a RealClearPolitics poll average. DeSantis and Haley are polling at 11.2%, followed by Ramaswamy at 4.2%.

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The former president is seeking a strong showing in Iowa as DeSantis and Haley seek to become the dominant second place in the field. CNN’s debate will be the final time before the Iowa caucuses that DeSantis and Haley will face off. Trump, meanwhile, is likely to brag about his advantageous lead during the competing town hall and denigrate his competitors.

The Washington Examiner reached out to CNN for comment.