Last Republican debate before Iowa caucuses comes with a special comedy bonus

On Jan. 10, CNN will host the last Republican presidential debate before the Iowa caucuses. Where the first Republican debate of the season featured eight people on the stage, including such luminaries as North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, this time CNN will need to provide just two podiums. Only Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley qualified to take the stage. Since Trump has refused to appear at any event where he wasn’t at the top of the bill, viewers can look forward to 90 minutes of DeSantis and Haley trading punches with all the sharpness of pingpong balls and the impact of feather pillows.

While this event might not be scintillating, it does come with a Very Special Bonus. Actually, it comes with two. First, Fox News is ceasing any pretense for the evening and handing over its airwaves to Trump for a “town hall debate” that’s scheduled opposite the actual presidential debate and includes only Trump. For the half-dozen Republicans who were thinking of watching DeSantis and Haley poke at each other while trying to determine whether any mention of Trump would lessen their chances at being his vice president pick, this is likely to be the more attractive event.

But wait! That’s not all. Vivek Ramaswamy went on social media Tuesday morning to declare he was too cool for CNN’s school. Rather than attend CNN’s “fake debate,” says Ramaswamy, he’s going to take to the air on Fox, no wait … Newsmax … hold on, that’s not it. Is it … OAN? Nope. Ramaswamy will be joining fake news superspreader Tim Pool on his “Timcast” podcast. Not because Ramaswamy didn’t qualify for the CNN debate, but because he didn’t want to be part of their stuffy old debate in the first place. So there.