Vivek Ramaswamy, the biotech entrepreneur and presidential candidate, has renewed his demand for the Republican National Committee (RNC) to change the way they conduct their debates. He said the current format is boring and fails to attract younger and new voters.
Ramaswamy suggested that the next GOP debate, scheduled for January 2023, should be held on X (Formerly X), a popular social media platform, instead of cable TV, the New York Post reported.
He also proposed that Tucker Carlson, a conservative commentator, should be the moderator and ask questions that are relevant to the primary voters.
“That’s how you do it,” Ramaswamy quoted to the New York Post on Friday. “They say they want to reach younger voters and new audiences?”
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The Indian-American Presidential candidate has been critical of the RNC’s debate guidelines and performance for a long time. He has called on RNC chair Ronna McDaniel to resign after the Republicans lost several elections. He has also urged the RNC to raise the donor threshold from 70,000 to 100,000 and to have a single moderator who can enforce the rules.
{{/usCountry}}The Indian-American Presidential candidate has been critical of the RNC’s debate guidelines and performance for a long time. He has called on RNC chair Ronna McDaniel to resign after the Republicans lost several elections. He has also urged the RNC to raise the donor threshold from 70,000 to 100,000 and to have a single moderator who can enforce the rules.
{{/usCountry}}Ramaswamy made his views clear in the third debate, hosted by NBC News in Miami on Nov. 8, where he said the debates should be moderated by Carlson, Joe Rogan and Elon Musk to get “ten times the viewership.”
The viewership of the Republican primary debates has declined steadily since the first one, hosted by Fox News Channel in Milwaukee on Aug. 23, which drew 12.8 million viewers. The second one, hosted by Fox Business Network in Simi Valley, Calif. on Sept. 27, got 9.5 million viewers, while the third one in Miami got only 7.51 million viewers.
The fourth debate will take place in Tuscaloosa, Ala. on Dec. 6. It will be hosted by NewsNation and moderated by former Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly, NewsNation’s Elizabeth Vargas and The Washington Free Beacon’s Eliana Johnson. The debate will also be broadcast live on the CW Network in the Eastern and Central time zones.
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The number of candidates on the stage will be smaller than in Miami, as the qualification criteria have been tightened and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) has dropped out of the race. Ramaswamy, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and former UN ambassador Nikki Haley are likely to qualify for the Alabama debate. Former President Donald Trump is not expected to attend.
The Republicans have not announced the dates and locations of the future debates, but they are likely to have at least one more debate before the Iowa caucus on Jan. 15 and the New Hampshire primary on Jan. 23.