RNC threatens exclusion of Ramaswamy, Christie from GOP primary debate
Republican National Committee (RNC) officials have reportedly threatened to exclude Chris Christie and Vivek Ramaswamy from the next GOP primary debate for planning a joint appearance on Fox News Channel. The RNC cautioned the candidates that their joint appearance would violate their commitment to only participate in sanctioned debates, potentially leading to their disqualification from the November 8 debate in Miami.
Republican National Committee (RNC) officials allegedly issued threats of exclusion to both Chris Christie and
Vivek Ramaswamy from the next
GOP primary debate due to their planned joint appearance on Fox News Channel.
Christie and Ramaswamy were scheduled to participate simultaneously on Fox News Channel’s "Special Report" evening news program.
According to the New York Post which cited tweets from both candidates, RNC officials cautioned them that such a joint appearance would violate their commitment to only participate in sanctioned debates which could further lead to their disqualification from the upcoming November 8 showdown in Miami.
As a result of the warning by RNC officials, the two 2024 hopefuls have opted for separate interviews with Fox host Bret Baier while expressing strong criticism of RNC.
Voicing his disappointment, Christie said, “It is very disappointing that we were threatened with exclusion from the Miami debate and future debates for trying to have a more complete dialogue with each other and the voters. Every campaign was offered that opportunity by Fox News and they have now been effectively banned by the RNC.”
Ramaswamy echoed what Christie said on X (formerly Twitter), suggesting that the RNC’s interference resembles a "brokered and rigged nomination process."
Responding to the complaints, an RNC spokesperson defended their position in a statement and emphasized that the candidates had previously pledged not to participate in unsanctioned debates. The RNC spokesperson said, “The RNC will continue to enact a fair, transparent debate process and we will not give in to pressure from individuals seeking to change the rules to favor their candidacy.”
Both Christie and Ramaswamy had clashed over policy differences in the initial Republican debate on August 23, where Christie humorously referred to Ramaswamy as “a guy that sounds like
ChatGPT .” Following the second debate, Florida governor Ron DeSantis challenged former president Donald Trump to a one-on-one verbal exchange, which Trump's campaign promptly declined.
Former president Trump, have skipped the first two RNC debates, with his campaign calling for the cancellation of future debates, urging the RNC to redirect resources toward preventing alleged
Democratic efforts to manipulate the 2024 election.