Trump's debate absence is a "golden opportunity" for other candidates

Within hours of the first Republican debate, which will be moderated by Bret Bair and Martha MacCallum and broadcast on Fox News, MacCallum took a moment to analyze the participants and the impact that the absence of Donald Trump adds to the event. The journalist said that all the other candidates should take advantage of the absence of the former president.

The Republican National Committee (RNC) has already announced the eight qualifiers and their respective places on stage, according to polls. They are Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy, Mike Pence, Tim Scott, Nikki Haley, Chris Christie, Doug Burgum and Asa Hutchinson.

Hours before the start of the first debate, MacCallum spoke to The Hill and said that the former president's refusal to participate is a "kind of golden opportunity for them."

"For all of them, I just think they're going to get a little more room to breathe. I think there's going to be a lot of focus on the issues that people care about, because that is the number one thing that we hear from everyone we speak with, is that they are just so hungry to move the conversation off of everything that's been happening in the past and some of what's been on [Trump's] plate and hear about what matters to them," she added.

Pence and Christie will miss Trump

She also speculated that Trump's presence on stage could have helped some of the candidates, particularly two of them. "I think [former New Jersey Gov . Chris Christie] probably would have relished an opportunity to go head-to-head with the former president. I think his own former vice president, Mike Pence, may have wanted that moment as well," she said.

Finally, she predicted that some campaigns could end once the stage lights go out. "People are going to want to see a lot of these moments replayed. There are going to be people whose campaign ends after tomorrow night because... Financial backers are the closest watchers of all of this... money is going to be shifting around a lot starting on Thursday, so that will be interesting to watch," she concluded.

The requirements to qualify for the first Republican debate

In order to be eligible, candidates have to pledge to support the eventual Republican nominee, something both Trump and other candidates do not view favorably. However, the eight who have qualified have already signed the loyalty pledge prepared by the RNC.

The pledge states: "I affirm that if I do not win the 2024 Republican nomination of President of the United States, I will honor the will of the primary voters and support the nominee in order to save our country and defeat Joe Biden. I further pledge that I will not seek to run as an independent or write-in candidate, nor will I seek or accept the nomination for president of any other party."

In addition, they must meet donations from at least 40,000 domestic taxpayers, and the candidate must consistently obtain more than 1% in three national polls or two national polls and one state while having "at least 200 unique donors per state or territory in more than 20 states and/or territories." Finally, they may not participate in any external debates.

The deadline to meet the requirements expired on August 21, just 48 hours before the debate.