Trump Holds Rally as GOP Candidates Gather for 3rd Debate

It's time for the third Republican presidential debate , and there's going to be an even smaller lineup onstage than the last gathering . The two-hour debate will start at 8pm ET. It's being moderated by NBC's Lester Holt and Kristen Welker, as well as nationally syndicated Salem Radio Network talk show host Hugh Hewitt. NBC says the event will air on its television, streaming and digital platforms, including streaming on NBCNews.com. As with the other two debates, the Republican National Committee has partnered with Rumble—a video-sharing platform popular with some conservatives—to livestream this one, in lieu of the network's YouTube channel. RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel said earlier this year this was a decision aimed toward "getting away from Big Tech."

The debate, sponsored by the Republican Jewish Coalition, is being held at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County. Five Republicans will be on the debate stage, the smallest field yet as polling and donor benchmarks for qualification rise, the AP reports. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie will participate in the Miami event. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who barely made the second debate, won't be on stage. Neither will former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who participated in the first debate but missed the cut for the subsequent two.

Trump is yet again skipping the debate, having decided there is little upside in joining his lower-polling rivals on stage, given his commanding early lead in polls. Marking the third time he's scheduled an event of his own instead of joining his rivals, Trump is holding a campaign rally targeting the Cuban American community in Hialeah, a half-hour away from the Miami debate site. CBS News that Trump will be endorsed at the event by Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, his former White House press secretary. (More GOP debate stories.)