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Late on 7 August, the presidential campaign of former Vice President Mike Pence confirmed that he had met one of the requirements to be included on the stage in the first debate of the Republican primary season, taking place in Milwaukee, WI on 23 August. The major question ahead of the debate is whether former president and frontrunner for the 2024 nomination Donald Trump takes part. In July, Trump stated that "when you have a big lead, you don't do it." RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel stated that it would be "a mistake" for Trump to skip the debate.

• Eight candidates have now crossed the minimum campaign fundraising and donor requirements. They are: Trump, Pence, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, US Senator Tim Scott (R-SC), former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum.
• The other requirements for inclusion are: 1%+ support in three independent national polls or two national polls and one independent poll in two of four early voting states (IA, NH, NV, SC) conducted after 1 July and at least 48hrs before the debate, and commit to signing a pledge to support the eventual GOP nominee.
• Should Trump refuse to participate, speculation is that DeSantis - as the second-placed candidate in most opinion polling - would face the bulk of the attacks from other candidates.