Trump to appear at Florida rally on night of third GOP debate

Former President Donald Trump has plans to be in Florida on the night of the third Republican debate, but he will attend a rally instead.

Trump made the announcement Friday on his social media platform Truth Social. The rally will happen hours before the debate on Nov. 8, but it will likely run through its end. This debate is scheduled a little less than a year before the 2024 general election date.

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Despite being the front-runner for the Republican nomination for president, Trump did not attend either of the first two debates. During the first debate, he had an interview with Tucker Carlson air at the same time. Carlson had recently been fired from Fox News at the time.

A Messenger-Harris poll was taken last month immediately following the second Republican primary debate hosted by the Republican National Committee and Fox News. Trump was again a no-show, which 51% of his supporters did not approve of, while 49% said it was the right decision. Out of those polled, 43% of respondents said they were more likely to vote for Trump after the debate.

At that second debate, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie were joined on the debate stage by entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former Vice President Mike Pence, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), and Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND). There are 13 candidates vying for the Republican presidential nomination. Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson did not qualify for the second debate despite appearing for the first one. Only DeSantis, Haley, and Ramaswamy have qualified for the third debate.

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The Republican National Committee has set the qualifications for the candidates, which include two polls that show at least 4% support and a higher threshold for individual contributions.

There are two other candidates who have not dropped out from the race: Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and political commentator Larry Elder. Former Texas Rep. Will Hurd dropped out and offered his endorsement to Haley.