COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The field of candidates onstage for the fourth Republican presidential debate will be the smallest yet. To qualify for the fourth debate, candidates needed at least 6% support in two national polls or 6% in one national poll as well as two polls from four of the early-voting states — Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. During the last debate, Haley called the entrepreneur “scum” after he invoked Haley’s daughter during a critique of TikTok. Without Trump at the debates, Christie has been left without his intended target but has brought him up nonetheless. Instead of going to Alabama — or holding his own counterprogramming event, as he has done for past debates — Trump is holding a closed-door campaign fundraiser in Florida.

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Persons: Donald Trump, DeSantis, That's, Trump, Israel — Haley, Haley, he's, Ramaswamy, Christie, “ Donald Duck, ”, — Trump, Joe Biden, Hutchinson, Sen, Tim Scott of, ‘, Tim, ’ ”, Doug Burgum —, “, Meg Kinnard Organizations: COLUMBIA, Moody Music Hall, University of Alabama, Republican National Committee, RNC, White, PAC, —, GOP, Republican, Trump, ” WHO, WHO, North Dakota Gov Locations: Tuscaloosa, — Iowa, New Hampshire , Nevada, South Carolina, Iowa, Florida, Alabama, Arkansas, Tim Scott of South Carolina