Participants had to meet slightly stricter criteria this time around, as set by debate organizers at the Republican National Committee.

It was necessary for candidates to reach at least 3% in two national polls or in a combination of one national poll and two state-wide polls. A pledge to support the eventual Republican nominee for 2024 was also required, as well as the support of 50,000 individual donors.

Despite the higher thresholds, two candidates made it to the stage in Wisconsin – North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum and former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson. Before the details of this event were released, Mr Trump, 77, indicated he would not attend.

In addition to expressing dissatisfaction with the debate venue and moderators, he has claimed that being on stage with low-polling rivals can only hurt his commanding position.

During last month’s debate, X aired an interview with former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson, which attracted several million more viewers. In Simi Valley, California, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) northwest of Los Angeles, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library will host Wednesday’s showdown.

At 21:00 ET (01:00 GMT), the two-hour event will begin.

Fox Business Network and Univision are hosting the event. The event will also be live-streamed on the Rumble video platform.

The debate will be moderated by Fox anchors Dana Perino and Stuart Varney, as well as Univision’s Ilia Calderon.

In states like Arizona and Texas, Hispanic voters have begun to abandon the Democratic Party in recent years.