The Republicans will hold another debate, whether Donald Trump likes it or not.
Fox News announced Monday that it will host a March 21 debate in Salt Lake City, which was penciled into the calendar just last month. It will be the 13th debate of the Republican presidential primary contest.
Trump, who is trying to position himself as the presumptive nominee despite heavy pushback from the GOP establishment, had called for an end to the debates.
“I think we’ve had enough debates,” Trump told reporters on Friday. “I mean, how many times do you have to give the same answer to the same question?”
The debate will once again be moderated by Fox News hosts Bret Baier, Megyn Kelly and Chris Wallace, all of whom have received widespread praise for their aggressive questioning of the Republican candidates.
Even Trump, who spent months complaining that Kelly was unfair to him, and skipped the network’s January 28 debate, has taken a more respectful tone toward Kelly.
Which candidates will appear at the March 21 debate? That remains to be seen.
Ted Cruz, who was won several primaries and caucuses, looks poised to stay in the race for some time. But Marco Rubio and John Kasich may be forced to drop out of the race if they fail to win their home states of Florida and Ohio on Tuesday.
Should Rubio and Kasich lose, it’s possible that the March 21 debate will be a head-to-head between Trump and Cruz.
If the Republican contest drags on into April, the Republican National Committee has allowed for the possibility of a 14th debate to take place in New York City.
The March 21 debate will take place at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City at 9 p.m. ET. It comes on the eve of the Utah and Arizona Republican primaries, and is the first presidential debate ever to be held in Utah.
