Former President Donald Trump initially opposed the first Republican presidential debate to be held later this year in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as announced by the Republican National Committee.

Breitbart News reported on Friday that the RNC announced it would be held on Wednesday, August 23 — less than three months away.

If there are too many qualified candidates to accommodate in a single venue, according to a press release from the RNC, a second debate will be held the following day.

To qualify for the first presidential debate, each candidate must satisfy four specific requirements. First, they must meet the requirements for eligibility to run for office. In addition, they must have formally declared their candidacy and submitted the required paperwork to the Federal Election Commission (FEC). In addition, they must submit the FEC forms identifying themselves as candidates and “designating the candidate’s principal campaign committee.”

Additionally, the candidate must have at least 40,000 unique contributors to their presidential campaign committee. This requirement necessitates obtaining “at least 200 unique donors per state or territory in 20+ states and/or territories,” according to the press release.

In addition, candidates must receive at least one percent of support in three national polls, or alternatively, two national polls and an early state poll. The Republican National Committee (RNC) must, however, deem the poll appropriate.

The RNC has provided specific guidelines for qualifying polls, requiring a minimum of 800 registered likely Republican voters to participate. The survey should employ a variety of methodologies, ranging from online panels to telephone interviews, and must be structured to avoid any potential bias.

In addition, the survey must not be affiliated with any candidate’s campaign or committee, and it must be conducted on or after July 1. Candidates have until 48 hours before the debate to comply with the voting requirements.

Each candidate must sign a pledge to the Republican National Committee (RNC) promising not to participate in “any non-RNC-sanctioned debate” throughout the entire election season. This requirement may have the greatest impact on Donald Trump.

In April, Trump threatened to skip the Republican National Convention debates and hinted that he may establish his own forum.

“I see that everybody is talking about the Republican Debates, but nobody got my approval, or the approval of the Trump Campaign, before announcing them,” he wrote on Truth Social at the time.

“When you’re leading by seemingly insurmountable numbers, and you have hostile Networks with angry, TRUMP & MAGA hating anchors asking the ‘questions,’ why subject yourself to being libeled and abused? Also, the Second Debate is being held at the Reagan Library, the Chairman of which is, amazingly, Fred Ryan, Publisher of The Washington Post. NO!” he added.

Soon after, at a subsequent campaign event in New Hampshire, he displayed a slideshow of his polling figures compared to those of other GOP candidates and questioned, “Why would you do that?”

“The emerging spat is a preview of the potential tension that could lie ahead as the Republican National Committee works to oversee an open, competitive primary process while Trump aims to establish himself as the undisputed leader of the party who doesn’t need to engage in such traditions,” The Associated Press reported.

More on this story via Conservative Brief:

“It’s an echo of his previous campaigns when he often dangled the potential of skipping debates — and sometimes followed through with the threat,” the AP added. CONTINUE READING…