©  GIPHY/ Saturday Night Live 

Swap the cage for a debate stage and add in eight presidential candidates. I know, this is a stretch, but humor me. I’ve missed out on weeks of potential Musk-Zuck fight jokes! Let me have my fun 😉

But hey, GOP presidential hopefuls will be stepping on stage Wednesday night for what may be the closest thing we’ll see soon to a public cage fight. 

The strategies for each debater will vary, but their overall goal is twofold: shine through the crowded stage as the alternative to former President Trump, but do so without alienating his devoted base.  

Let’s play a game! Though Trump will not be attending, his name will almost certainly dominate tonight’s event. How many times do you think Trump’s name will be mentioned tonight? Email me your guesses, and if you get it right, you might just see your name in the newsletter tomorrow.

CNN’s Dana Bash and Shania Shelton report that North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum (R) suffered an injury in Milwaukee while playing basketball with his staff. He was taken to the emergency room on Tuesday, and it’s unclear whether he will participate tonight. Full story 

The debate will start at 9 p.m. EDT with Fox News hosts Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum moderating. It will air on all Fox News platforms, including Fox’s website. Other logistics 

Everyone and their mothers have a “what to watch” preview, so I’ve rounded up a few I think are worth reading below.

• ‘What each candidate needs to do’: From The Hill’s Niall Stanage 

• ‘Republican debate could be audition for Trump’s running mate’: From The Hill’s Alexander Bolton 

• ‘6 things to watch’: From CNN’s Eric Bradner 

• What The New York Times is watching: Questions from Lisa Lerer and Shane Goldmacher 

• ‘5 things Democrats are watching during the Republican debate’: From The Hill’s Hanna Trudo and Alex Gangitano

• What topics to expect: Economy and taxes, abortion, Ukraine and defense policy, budget and entitlements, energy and environment, education and tech and social media. Quick primer for each  

Ouch: ABC News’s Jay O’Brien posted, “Milwaukee schools are closed today due to an excessive heat warning. You know what isn’t closed? GOP debate live shots!” Photo of the outdoor setup 

 
Now *that’s* a theme party: The Washington Post’s Dylan Wells posted that “Vivek Ramaswamy campaign really leaning into the ‘1776 moment’ aesthetic at his pre-debate event.” Photos — that is a lot of colonial garb 

Happy Wednesday! Guess what today is? The first GOP presidential debate of the primary season! LET’S GOOO! I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send tips, commentary, feedback and cookie recipes to cmartel@thehill.com.  Did someone forward this newsletter to you?  Sign up here.

Former President Trump is skipping tonight’s debate and will instead sit down for a pre-taped interview with ex-Fox News host Tucker Carlson.  

And when do you think this interview will air?: You guessed it! Right at 9 p.m., the same time the GOP debate is scheduled to begin. “Sparks will fly,” Trump teased on his social media platform Truth Social. 

How to tune in: The interview will post on X, formerly known as Twitter, according to The Washington Post. 

A nuance here: Not only is Trump hoping to overshadow tonight’s debate, but the debate is hosted by Tucker Carlson’s ex-employer, Fox News. 

©  GIPHY/NickRewind

Here are a few tidbits from The Washington Post’s Sarah Ellison and Josh Dawsey:

• The interview was almost scrapped due to scheduling.  

• Trump wanted to keep the interview secret amid debate speculation. 

• Trump initially didn’t want the interview to air on X but was talked into it. “Carlson and his team have been building a relationship with Musk for months and told Trump that they did not think Trump’s own platform had the necessary reach.” 

More on how this interview came about 

©  GIPHY/ funk

Amid debate prep this week, candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is busy trying to clean up a controversy over comments he made about the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. 

How this started: The Atlantic published an interview with Ramaswamy where he said, “I think it is legitimate to say how many police, how many federal agents, were on the planes that hit the Twin Towers. Maybe the answer is zero. It probably is zero for all I know, right? I have no reason to think it was anything other than zero.” Read The Atlantic article 

Then on Monday night: CNN’s Kaitlan Collins asked Ramaswamy about the comments. The tech entrepreneur, who has been climbing in the polls, tried to walk back his claims, arguing that he was misquoted. Watch the CNN segment 

Collins took Ramaswamy at his word and continued the interview. But following the appearance, The Atlantic released the audio, which Collins played on Tuesday’s show. The audio confirmed that Ramaswamy was, in fact, not misquoted. Watch the follow-up CNN segment  

Politico’s Adam Wren has an interesting profile about the up-and-comer.  

“The Astonishing, Unexpected and Completely Modern Rise of Vivek Ramaswamy: From a podcast studio in his basement to 30 interviews in one day alone, the political newcomer has blanketed the media to fuel his rise in the polls.” Read the Politico profile 

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@seanieviola posted a screenshot of a Facebook Marketplace listing for a chair displayed in a beautiful backdrop. “They didn’t have to go this hard to sell a chair on Facebook Marketplace,” the caption reads. The chair looks like it is ready for its dramatic portrait to be painted. Photo of the chair  

The House and Senate are out. President Biden is in Nevada, and Vice President Harris is in Washington, D.C. Both have empty schedules today. 

• 📺 1 p.m.: Democratic National Committee leaders hold a press conference ahead of tonight’s GOP debate. Livestream 
• 🎤 9 p.m.: The first GOP presidential debate of the 2024 campaign cycle. How to watch 

• 🚔 Thursday: Former President Trump is expected to surrender at Georgia’s Fulton County Jail. What we know about Trump’s booking 

All times Eastern.

Today is National Cuban Sandwich Day and National Sponge Cake Day! 

A giraffe was born in Tennessee without any spots. Photos and the full story, via The Washington Post’s Niha Masih.

So many recipes for garlic butter steak bites. I want to try this so badly. Here’s a recipe 

©  GIPHY/Schitt's Creek

And to leave you smiling, here’s a cat getting quite the workout with a balloon. 

Send comments, story ideas and events for our radar to cmartel@thehill.com. A friend forward this to you? Subscribe here.

View past issues of 12:30 Report here and check out other newsletters from The Hill here. See you next time!