Although former President Donald Trump has publicly stated on his social media platform Truth Social that he will not be taking part in the debates, some of his staunch Republican allies will be present at the first Republican presidential debate in Milwaukee on Wednesday.
Republican elected officials from across the country are also expected to be in attendance. Well-known media and political figures and even some prominent Democrats will also be in town.
Here’s who to watch out for in Milwaukee and on your screens during debate week.
Key Trump supporters in Congress will be in attendance
NBC News reported Thursday that at least three of Trump’s strongest supporters in Congress will attend the debate in Milwaukee. Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz and Byron Donalds are expected to be in town.
Greene backed attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results and backed Trump’s claims that the election was stolen.
Trump’s campaign team has not revealed whether Greene is on their list of potential candidates to run for office, but Greene said it would be an “honor” if asked to become Trump’s vice president and something she considers “very, very important”.
Gaetz is a well-known Trump ally, but was also a top campaign advisor to Ron DeSantis, another Republican presidential nominee for 2024, during DeSantis’ successful campaign for Florida governor in 2018.
In 2018, Gaetz was one of 18 Republicans in the House of Representatives who voted to nominate Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in peace talks with North Korea.
Like Greene, Gaetz believes fraud in the 2020 presidential election was to blame for Trump’s loss. Gaetz and Greene were two of the 21 Republicans in the House of Representatives who voted on Jan. 6, 2021 against awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to law enforcement officers who helped defend the U.S. Capitol. In August 2021, Gaetz co-sponsored a resolution by Greene to impeach Biden.
Greene announced Monday that she and Gaetz will host a post-debate analysis on the Right Side Broadcasting Network on Rumble Wednesday at 10 p.m.
Rep. Donalds was elected to the US House of Representatives in 2020, having served in the Florida House of Representatives since 2016. During his 2020 campaign, Donalds described himself as a “Trump supporter, gun owner, freedom-loving, life-loving, politically-incorrect individual.” Black man.”
According to the Orlando Sentinel, in January 2021, Donalds voted against certifying 2020 presidential election voters from Arizona and Pennsylvania.
Kari Lake, a former Republican gubernatorial candidate from Arizona who lost the gubernatorial race last year, will also participate in the debate, according to a statement from her team Saturday.
Lake is a Trump supporter and believes both her election defeat last year and Trump’s 2020 defeat were the result of voter fraud.
Lake was in the Milwaukee area recently in late June when she performed at a Milwaukee County Republicans fundraiser in Wauwatosa. There she praised Trump and said: “He will be our next president.”
Donald Trump Jr
Though his father won’t be attending the debate, the former president’s eldest son Donald Trump Jr. announced a likely appearance with his partner Kimberly Guilfoyle on Twitter/X on Monday.
Trump Jr. is an executive at the Trump Organization and served in his father’s 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns.
After his father’s election defeat in 2020, Trump Jr. was vocal about his belief that voter fraud played a role, tweeting that the “best thing for America’s future” is if his father “rejects all fraud, fraud, dead/no.” reveals longer with state voters, it’s been that way for far too long.”
On Jan. 6, 2021, Trump Jr., along with his father and other speakers, spoke at a rally attended by some of the people who stormed the US Capitol later in the day.
FOX News will bring its top talent from New York to Milwaukee
A slew of FOX News network personalities will be in town this week covering debates and programs from Milwaukee.
According to a FOX press release, Trump’s 2016 campaign manager and former chief adviser to the President, Kellyanne Conway, will be in Milwaukee as part of a team of FOX News commentators to cover the station’s America’s Newsroom show ahead of the debate.
Conway was involved in opinion polls and conservative politics for a long time before becoming the first woman to lead a successful US presidential campaign.
During her time under Trump, Conway faced some controversy, including criticism from members of both parties that she had committed a breach of ethics by publicly promoting clothing and products made with the president’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, connect. Conway resigned as Trump’s adviser in August 2020 on the grounds that it would allow her to spend more time with her children.
Conway joined FOX News in 2022 as a contributor and has appeared on many of its shows as a guest and presenter.
Following the debate, longtime FOX News anchor Sean Hannity and guests will present a post-debate analysis live from Milwaukee at 10 p.m. on “Hannity,” according to the FOX press release.
In 2022, Hannity became the longest-serving prime-time cable news host in television history. Hannity began as the co-host of “Hannity & Colmes” on FOX in 1996, which became “Hannity” in 2009 when liberal host Alan Colmes left the show.
Hannity was an early supporter of Trump in the 2016 presidential election and is said to have been very close to Trump during his presidency. Hannity reportedly called the White House most weekdays and spoke to the then-President on the phone.
In addition to Conway and Hannity, “FOX & Friends,” “The Five,” “Fox News @ Night,” and other programs on the FOX News network will have “specials” from Milwaukee before and/or after this week’s debate. FOX personalities including Dana Perino, Bill Hemmer, Trey Gowdy, Karl Rove and Pete Hegseth will be in town.
DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison and Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway will be in Milwaukee
According to a 2024 Biden-Harris campaign press release, Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison, Biden-Harris Campaign Co-Chairman Cedric Richmond, Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway, and Democratic Party Chairman will of Wisconsin, Ben Wikler, to hold a press conference in Milwaukee prior to the debate.
The press conference will take place on Wednesday afternoon.
The four Democrats will hold a press conference “as Republicans prepare for the first Republican primary debate in 2024, which will present America with the most extreme slate of candidates in history,” the press release said.
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