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Debates took place among candidates in the campaign for the Republican Party's nomination for the president in the 2020 United States presidential election. The Republican National Committee (RNC) did not schedule any official RNC-sanctioned primary debates, and incumbent President Donald Trump stated that he would not debate any primary challenger. Thus, the debates held among Trump's primary challengers were instead sponsored by private organizations.

Debates

Map of United States showing sites of all Republican presidential debates in 2019-2020.
Business Insider New York
Politicon Nashville
Forbes Detroit
Sites of the Republican presidential debates

The Republican National Committee (RNC) chose not to schedule any official RNC-sanctioned primary debates.[1] On May 3, 2018, the RNC eliminated its debate committee for the 2020 election cycle, as John Hammond, the co-chairman of the RNC's subcommittee governing the primary process, stated that it would be less relevant "as we continue to support the President and the vice president and the current administration".[2] Trump also stated on September 9, 2019, that he was not willing to debate any primary challenger, saying, "I'm not looking to give them any credibility."[3]

Business Insider announced on September 10, 2019 that it would host a debate on September 24, inviting Trump and his main primary challengers.[4][5]

Politicon, a nonpartisan political convention, announced on October 22, 2019 that it would host a debate on October 26 among Trump's three main primary challengers.[6]

The Forbes Under 30 Summit hosted a debate on October 28 between Mark Sanford, Bill Weld, and Joe Walsh.[7]

Schedule

Debate schedule
Debate Date Time
(ET) 		Viewers Location Sponsor(s) Moderator(s)
Business Insider debate[5][8][9] Sept. 24, 2019 7 pm ~900[10] New York, New York Business Insider Anthony Fisher
Linette Lopez
Politicon debate[6] Oct. 26, 2019 12 pm Unknown Nashville, Tennessee Politicon Jennifer Rubin
Forbes debate[7] Oct. 28, 2019 10:30 am Unknown Detroit, Michigan Forbes Randall Lane
Daniela Pierre-Bravo

Participation

The following is a table of participating candidates in each debate:

Participating candidates
Candidate

 P  Present  A  Absent  I  Invited  N  Not invited  W  Withdrawn

Business Insider Politicon Forbes
De La Fuente N N N
Sanford A P P
Trump A A A
Walsh P P P
Weld P P P

Business Insider debate (September 24, 2019)

Republican primary debates
Business Insider's 2020 Republican primary debate
HostBusiness Insider
Date(s)September 24, 2019
VenueBusiness Insider headquarters
LocationNew York City, New York
ParticipantsJoe Walsh
Bill Weld
Moderator(s)Anthony Fisher
Linette Lopez

Business Insider's 2020 Republican primary debate was held on September 24, 2019, at the headquarters of Business Insider in New York City. It was streamed on Business Insider Today, their daily Facebook Watch show and streamed live on the Business Insider website. It was hosted by Business Insider CEO Henry Blodget and moderated by its politics editor Anthony Fisher, and its opinion columnist Linette Lopez.[5][9]

Joe Walsh and Bill Weld attended the debate,[4] but Mark Sanford declined due to scheduling conflicts, and Donald Trump did not respond to the invitation.[9]

The debate was characterized by a focus on Trump, with both attending candidates spending the majority of their time criticizing him.[11] Other topics that were discussed included climate change, Iran, and automation.[10]

Politicon debate (October 26, 2019)

Republican primary debates
Politicon's 2020 Republican primary debate
HostPoliticon
Date(s)October 26, 2019
LocationNashville, Tennessee
ParticipantsMark Sanford
Joe Walsh
Bill Weld
Moderator(s)Jennifer Rubin

Politicon's 2020 Republican primary debate was held on October 26, 2019, at Politicon in Nashville, Tennessee. Sanford, Walsh and Weld were all in attendance.[12]

Forbes debate (October 28, 2019)

Republican primary debates
Forbes's 2020 Republican primary debate
HostForbes
Date(s)October 28, 2019
VenueDetroit Masonic Temple
LocationDetroit, Michigan
ParticipantsMark Sanford
Joe Walsh
Bill Weld
Moderator(s)Randall Lane
Daniela Pierre-Bravo

Forbes's 2020 Republican primary debate was held on October 28, 2019, at the Detroit Masonic Temple in Detroit. It was moderated by Randall Lane and Daniela Pierre-Bravo.[13]

Joe Walsh, Bill Weld and Mark Sanford all attended the debate.[7]

Among other issues, Trump's potential impeachment and climate change were discussed.[14]

See also

References

  1. ^ Almukhtar, Sarah; Martin, Jonathan; Stevens, Matt (February 6, 2019). "2020 Presidential Election Calendar". The New York Times. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  2. ^ Berg, Rebecca (May 3, 2018). "Republican Party nixes debate committee ahead of 2020". CNN. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
  3. ^ Brett Samuels (September 9, 2019). "Trump says he won't debate primary opponents". The Hill. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
  4. ^ a b Paul Steinhauser (September 10, 2019). "Long-shot GOP primary challengers to have their own debate this month – minus Trump". Fox News. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  5. ^ a b c Mario Ruiz (September 11, 2019). "Business Insider to host first Republican presidential primary debate". Business Insider. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
  6. ^ a b Frazin, Rachel (October 22, 2019). "Trump's GOP challengers to debate in Nashville". The Hill. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  7. ^ a b c Mears, Daniel (October 29, 2019). "Republican presidential hopefuls debate at Under 30 Summit". The Detroit News. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  8. ^ Joe Concha (September 10, 2019). "Business Insider to host GOP debate with Trump challengers". The Hill. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  9. ^ a b c Grace Panetta (September 17, 2019). "How to watch the first-ever 2020 Republican presidential debate". Business Insider. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
  10. ^ a b Adam Gabbatt (September 25, 2019). "Republican 2020 debate: a two-man battle for who hates Trump most". The Guardian. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
  11. ^ Steakin, Will. "Walsh, Weld hammer Trump at GOP debate: 'It's not about the issues, it's about Trump'". ABC News. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
  12. ^ Natalie Allison (October 26, 2019). "'Never Trump' GOP presidential candidate Joe Walsh says Republicans should consider a Democratic running mate". The Tennessean. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  13. ^ Forbes Staff (October 26, 2019). "Forbes Under 30 Summit in Detroit to Feature Republican Presidential Candidate Debate". Forbes. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  14. ^ Lisette Voyko (October 28, 2019). "Two Republicans Challenging Trump In 2020 Support Impeachment". Forbes. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
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