Media Tip Sheet: First GOP Presidential Debate Happening Tonight


August 23, 2023

GOP elephant symbol in blue and red

Image source: Vecteezy

The first Republican presidential primary debate will take place in Milwaukee on Aug. 23, 2023. Along with the first GOP debate of the 2024 election cycle, the Republican National Committee will also hold the party’s nominating convention in Wisconsin next year. Amid his legal troubles, Former President Donald Trump will not participate in the debate. Instead, Trump's sit down with ex-Fox News host Tucker Carlson will be released as the debate gets underway. 

Faculty experts at the George Washington University are available to offer insight, analysis and commentary on the debate and the implications surrounding tonight's events. If you would like to schedule an interview with an expert, please contact GW Media Relations at [email protected]


Todd Belt, professor and director of the political management master’s program at the Graduate School of Political Management, can discuss the political implications of the former president’s indictment. Professor Belt can delve into what this means for the former president’s re-election ambitions and the 2024 presidential race as a whole.

Matthew Dallek is a political historian whose intellectual interests include the intersection of social crises and political transformation, the evolution of the modern conservative movement, and liberalism and its critics. Dallek is a frequent commentator in the national news media on politics, history, and public affairs. His articles and reviews have appeared in the Washington Post, Politico, the Atlantic, Perspectives, the Journal of Policy History, and numerous other scholarly and popular publications, and his commentary has been heard on NPR, CNN International, and MSNBC.

Peter Loge is the director of the GW School of Media and Public Affairs and Director of the Project on Ethics in Political Communication. Loge has nearly 30 years of experience in politics and communications, including a presidential appointment at the Food and Drug Administration and senior positions for Sen. Edward Kennedy and three members of the U.S. House of Representatives. Loge can discuss the presidential race and upcoming debate as well as a number of topics that relate to politics, ethics, communications and political strategy. 

Stephen Saltzburg, Wallace and Beverly Woodbury University Professor of Law; Co-director of the Litigation and Dispute Resolution Program, an expert on evidence, procedure and litigation. Professor Saltzburg is a former Justice Department official who can speak to the legal implications Trump is facing as a citizen, and what the charges could mean for a future presidential race.

-GW-