Fresh off of Wednesday night’s third Republican presidential debate in Miami comes word that the next debate, scheduled for December 6 in Alabama, will be moderated by Megyn Kelly. She’ll be joined by NewsNation’s Elizabeth Vargas and The Washington Free Beacon’s Eliana Johnson.
The Republican National Committee made the announcement on Thursday morning:
Today, the Republican National Committee (RNC) announced that it has selected NewsNation, The Megyn Kelly Show on SiriusXM, the Washington Free Beacon and Rumble as partners for the fourth Republican presidential primary debate, which will take place in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on December 6, 2023. As with the first three debates, Rumble will be the exclusive RNC livestream provider and the RNC’s exclusive online home for the fourth debate.
Kelly, who has previously moderated five presidential debates, is clearly looking forward to being part of the event, stating: “It will be the margarita of debates – spicy, fun and somewhat intoxicating. Looking forward to it.” She made waves when she moderated a debate during the 2016 GOP presidential primary and engaged in this now-infamous exchange with candidate Donald Trump:
Kelly: “You’ve called women you don’t like ‘fat pigs,’ ‘dogs,’ ‘slobs,’ and ‘disgusting animals.’ Does that sound to you like the temperament of a man we should elect as president?”
Trump: “What I say is what I say. And honestly, Megyn, if you don’t like it, I’m sorry, I’ve been very nice to you, although I could probably maybe not be, based on the way you have treated me. But I wouldn’t do that to you.”
This led to years of stories about a feud between Kelly and Trump, something she now says is “nonsense” that is “under the bridge.” It’s unlikely there will be any Kelly-Trump drama coming out of the next debate since Trump is likely to sit it out, as he has for all previous debates of the 2024 election cycle. That doesn’t mean things will be boring, by any means, since Kelly is an independent journalist now, not tied to any network or publication.
The news of Kelly’s involvement, along with the participation of Rumble and the Free Beacon, is likely welcome news to the many conservatives who have groaned in frustration for years at having Republican debates hosted by blatantly left-leaning outlets like NBC News.
Which candidates will be participating in the debate is yet to be determined. The RNC recently announced tougher qualification requirements for the fourth debate: “Candidates will be required to poll at 6 percent or higher in two national polls, or at 6 percent in one early state poll from two separate “carve out” states — listed as Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina — to make the debate stage.”
Voters could use a “margarita of debates” at this point, and you can expect to see Kelly pursue a line of questioning designed to bring out the candidates’ personalities. She was a lawyer in a previous life, she she’s good at dissecting arguments.
