Lester Holt, Kristen Welker, and Hugh Hewitt to Moderate Third GOP Primary Debate; Trump Unlikely to Participate

Third Republican primary debate set for November 8 in Miami with Lester Holt, Kristen Welker, and Hugh Hewitt as moderators; despite leading in polls, Trump persists in rejecting traditional candidate forums.

NBC News has selected Lester Holt and Kristen Welker, along with radio host Hugh Hewitt, to moderate the third GOP primary debate on November 8, 2023, in Miami.
Despite leading in polls, former President Donald Trump is unlikely to participate in the upcoming debate, continuing his trend of eschewing traditional candidate forums in the current election cycle.
Both Holt and Welker have a solid history of moderating key political events, including presidential debates and town halls. Holt recently served as a moderator for the 2020 cycle's first primary debate and is NBC's go-to anchor for primetime political coverage.
Welker, who replaced Chuck Todd as the moderator of “Meet the Press,” is the second woman and first journalist of color to hold the position and has gained recognition for her broad-ranging interview with Trump last month.
The debate will be a joint endeavor by NBC, Salem Radio Network, the Republican Jewish Coalition, and Rumble. So far, the qualifying candidates include Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.