Republican debate live updates: GOP candidates take stage in Milwaukee to answer Fox News moderator questions

Just because Donald Trump isn’t on the debate stage tonight doesn’t mean he won’t be lashing out at his political opponents.

During his pre-recorded interview with Tucker Carlson, Mr Trump said several candidates should not be on the stage including Asa Hutchinson and Chris Christie.

Mr Trump called Mr Hutchinson “Aida” and said he is “weak” and pathetic” and questioned how he was elected Arkansas.

Turning his attention toward Chris Christie, Mr Trump called him a “lunatic” and said his polling numbers are too low to be a candidate.

Right off the bat, Donald Trump told Tucker Carlson he believes joining the debate was wrong because he is polling so far ahead

”I don’t think it’s right to do it if you’re leading 50, 60, 70 points,” Mr Trump said.

Who do likely Republican primary voters think will do best tonight? The pressure is on for Ramaswamy, DeSantis, Scott and Haley according tot a FiveThirtyEight poll conducted with The Washington Post and IPSOS.

Expecting a coronation and so far looking likely to get one, the former president has chosen not to attend the first Republican primary debate, Gustaf Kilander writes.

The Independent consulted with top Republican campaign veterans about what they are watching during tonight’s debate. Here are five things to keep an eye on:

Donald Trump, who has sold steaks, buildings, ties, digital trading cards, and many other things with his name on them, is never someone who has missed an opportunity to make a little money, and it seems bookies are taking a similar approach to the former president’s indictment in Georgia for alleged election meddling.

Brit Hume went on Fox News this afternoon to offer his opinion on the Democratic Party choosing a candidate to run against the next Republican nominee.

“I don’t think there is any doubt that if we get a candidate get a clear breakout moment either here or some time in the near future, and it appears on its way to overtaking Donald Trump for the nomination or even coming close enough, the Democrats will be frantically looking for somebody else to nominate,” Mr Hume said.

“Because I think that they think that Joe Biden can beat Donald Trump because he did before. I’m not sure they believe that he could beat almost anybody else,” Mr Hume said.

Mr Trump, who is not participating in the first GOP debate tonight, took to his social media platform to lash out at Mr Hume.

“I AM LEADING BIDEN IN ALMOST ALL POLLS! LEADING REPUBLICANS BY 50 POINTS. FOX NEWS REFUSES TO POST OR DISCUSS. BRIT HUME, WORKING WITH RINO BRET BAIER, IS DELUSIONAL!!!” Mr Trump wrote.

He continued, “NO, I’M THE ONE THAT THE DEMOCRATS DON’T WANT TO RUN AGAINST. They said the same thing in 2016. How did that work out? We did MUCH better in the Rigged Election of 2020. The RINOS and DEMS are all about DISINFORMATION! @brithume @bretbaier”

Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley took a shot at two of her rivals for the Republican Party nomination ahead of tonight’s first debate.

Referring to a statement made by entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy about only helping Taiwan until 2028, Ms Haley said his comments point to a “complete lack of awareness” of the island’s conflict with mainland China.

“It shows a complete lack of awareness of the breadth of the Chinese threat,” Haley initially told the Washington Post’s Josh Rogin. Her campaign later confirmed her comments to Fox News Digital. “That’s the problem with people who don’t understand national security, and he proved that. We can’t have a novice going into the White House.”

Ms Haley also went after South Carolina Senator Tim Scott for his hesitancy to ban TikTok, the phone app that shares data with the Chinese government.

“We can’t have someone who is unsure about where they stand on China policy,” she said. “Banning TikTok is only the tip of the spear when it comes to defending against China.”