thanks so much. there is a lot that will happen tonight. i want you to stick around. i will be back on a few times tonight to bring some analysis before the debate. jesse watters is next. jesse, who do you have on tonight? i have more people than you even need to know about, laura. thank you so much. great show. foxnews alert. where less than an hour away from the first republican primary for the formal debates traces back to ancient greece where athenians would argue about politics and philosophy. during the roman empire debates were ruthless spectacles of character assassination. there were no limits. accusations of and adultery were common. but wittiness was rewarded and

if someone could withstand the slander with a calm demeanor, they ascended. but ultimately the romans acknowledged the debates were entertainment. today, american debates encompass all of this. formal discussions of policy, demeaning insults, and of course, entertainment. they play a critical role in our elections providing voters with impressions and insight that they carry into the voting booth. tonight is the first impression. the republican party is seeking to eject president biden from the white house. his presidency has been marred by a traumatic inflation, covid controversy, skyrocketing criminality, a proxy war with russia, a deadly drug cartel assault on the border and a war on gender and common sense. the specter of senility, corruption and incompetence has created deep distrust and anxiety as we head into a tumultuous year that will likely see an impeachment trial. other trials are certain. donald trump will spend the

first half of the next year in the courtroom facing a blizzard of desperate political charges designed to disqualify him from holding office. this will open up a pandora's box of political retribution because if trump wins the next election, we will witness a one term revenge tour. the biden family will be indicted. both biden and trump are running to avoid the threat of prison. here it is. on the one hand you have a week, debilitated, detached, incompetent and corrupt establishment direct democratic republican with an unelectable vp likely facing a controversial criminally exposed republican business tycoon and populist avenger. the former president made a calculation to skip tonight's debate based on his 40% primary lead. this creates an opportunity for the other candidates to distinguish themselves. here is what they need to do. the winning candidate must have

a vision. the country is experiencing a spiritual vacancy. the toxic combination of drugs, screens and poisons cannot be ignored. with the cold war won and global discredited the country is struggling for direction. those who can deliver a meaningful message and solutions to problems will thrive. in addition, a war is being waged by the professional class against the masses. their grip on power in the information age is slipping away. they are violently lashing out through censorship, disinformation campaigns and law fare. the american people deserve a better way forward. and republican voters are craving authenticity. we smell a phony. rehearsed cornball behavior will backfire tonight. winning candidates must be comfortable in their own skin and showcase humor and humanity. next, policy over cheap shots.

obviously, candidates want to go viral. but the electorate wants answers. in this order, how specifically are you going to address the economy, inflation, illegal immigration and crime if you are a culture worry or explain the stakes. if not, please don't pander. sharp elbows on stage. mr. nice guy will get lost in the shuffle. candidates have to tangle with their competitors, show the voters you want it. don't be a jerk, but be relaxed and aggressive. and enjoy jockeying for position. finally, eviscerate bidenomics. one of these candidates may wind up as vp and republicans are looking for an attack dog. someone who can destroy the biden record so completely that he is disqualified. and while you are at it, roast the media. everybody hates them. and obviously, navigating the debate without the front runner

in a party that largely supports the front runner will be tricky. so, good luck. ron desantis as david bowie said, under pressure. the great florida governor has not met expectations. he has lost momentum blowing through money and reshuffled his campaign. donors need to see desantis serve up some aces tonight. desantis should just have some fun, knock some heads together and stay classy because this will be a pile on. he cannot look annoyed on a split screen when he is being attacked. desantis does not have a lot of experience in this format. is golden knights might be this. remind the party that he is the old and only person with money, person and support idea who can conceivably consolidate the base when the possible event that something politically dyer happens to donald trump. sticking to economic issues will be smart. vivek ramaswamy is surging. one poll has him tied with desantis. he is on tv more than brian

kilmeade. he is young, likable, bright with an uplifting and energetic message. he has been financially successful, but the question is, is he the flavor of the month or has he tapped into something reel? he is somewhat of an unknown entity which gives him a great opportunity to make a good first impression tonight. but vivek ramaswamy came out of nowhere so they just hit it. he has a vulnerable resume with inconsistent positions that his opponents will exploit tonight. look for ron desantis to target him early. chris christie will be a huge factor. he will command attention with constant attacks and insults against trump, desantis, ramaswamy and anything that moves. he's a seasoned debater with a quick new jersey lip. the audience won't love him but he will initiate clashes all night. if one of the candidates can kick chris christie in the teeth in the first 15 minutes, that will help. the others up on stage have no

momentum and need breakthrough moments. so, desperation will be in the air. it will be a lively night. charlie hurt is a fox news contributor who joins us now. what is the mood that is hanging over this debate stage tonight, charlie? >> i think you summed it up quite perfectly there. obviously i think the most amount of pressure we are seeing right now is going to be on ron desantis. that is both because of the expectations that he and his supporters set for him at the beginning, but you are exactly right. debates are not necessarily his forte. he has never demonstrated a particularly prowess at debates. you look at a guy like chris christie who is a master at debating. you look at a guy like mike pence who has a lot more experience with debates. but the problem with both mike pence and chris christie is both of them are known quantities. it is kind of hard to figure out how they are going to reinvent

themselves tonight. but for a guy like ron desantis, he doesn't have a choice. he has got to do it. he has a tremendous record behind him of accomplishments in florida. he had a tremendous record in politics getting reelected. but the problem he has had is conveying that enthusiasm that florida republicans and florida independent lapse have for him. converting that to people in iowa and new hampshire and across the country, they are just not buying what he is selling. i think he has got to figure out a way to solve that tonight or he is going to have campaign problems that won't go away. >> on one side vivek ramaswamy, we have no idea what this guy is capable of. he is extremely articulate and has a ton of energy. he is young looking. on the other side you have chris christie who will bulldoze everybody. constantly interrupting people, jabbering and jawboning the heck

out of anybody that gets in his way. how does anybody manage those two forces on stage. >> you are right. christy is a huge presence no matter what. that is part of the skill of being a good candidate. you have got to figure out how to do this kind of thing. i think vivek ramaswamy who has demonstrated an extraordinary ability to synthesize and talk about the issues that people care the most about is going to have the most to give. if ron desantis has the most aloof vivek ramaswamy has the most to gain. one of those two will be the story coming out of tonight. the good thing for republicans, and you touched on this, is the fact that all of the ideas are on the republican side. republican voters care about the issues and the issues are what they are going to win on. democrats have nothing but fear

and claiming racism and claiming climate change. that is the only thing democrats can talk about. it is all fantasy. republicans are talking about real issues that matter to people at home. that is what is going to resonate with the voters who don't particularly care about the political nonsense. >> exactly right. thank you so much, charlie. talk to you later. up next, the trickiest dance these candidates will need to pull off tonight. acellus courses for parents independently homeschooling their children. our complete k through 12 homeschool program includes courses in math, science, social studies, reading and language arts. it also includes electives such as music, 3d printing and programing. power homeschool has really transformed our child's experience and allows her to work at her own pace.

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fox news alert. in less than 45 minutes republican candidates for president will continue in their

first debate. let's hear from the voters. what do they expect? >> what are you watching for? >> i am watching for people who are driven and willing to lift each other up. i don't want any hate comments. >> i want to see all the different policies, how other people respond to other peoples policies. >> i want to find people willing to call others out who are doing mistakes and not give us a platitude all the time. >> actually say what you are going to do. if you're going to do something, finish it through. >> i want them to talk about policy. i don't have to like my president. i just want money in my bank account to stay there. that's all i care about. >> republican primary voters are most concerned about inflation, crime and the border. speaking to these concerns will be challenging considering the runaway frontliner is not on stage. this is a tricky thicket to navigate. how do these candidates respectfully contrast themselves

with donald trump without alienating the large pool of voters loyal to him? furthermore, joe biden has unleashed a hornets nest of partisan prosecutors trend hell-bent on stinging the life out of the trump campaign. republican voters since the political danger potentially here, but are also disgusted with the corrupt injustice of these unprecedented legal attacks, especially considering the fact that the incumbent president has been accused of headlining an international bribery racket and is in the process of orchestrating an administration wide cover up. tonight is a balancing act. donald trump has said he is evaluating the men and women on stage for potential vp or cabinet positions. how will all of this effect the candidate's performance? well, the candidate that respects the former president and definitely maneuvers the conversation to focus on biden and's deficiencies and their solutions will prosper.

let's turn to kayleigh mcenany former press secretary and "fox & friends" weekend co-host pete. before we get to kayleigh, ladies first. you are there on-site. what is the energy like? >> i think there is a lot of i would describe it as anxiousness. a lot of campaigns talking to, they know how big this is. the latest cbs poll that just came out, trump is ahead by 46 points after the fourth indictment. he may not be here but he is in everyone's had. you said it right. what is the balance? in that same poll from cbs, 99% of republican voters say their life was better under trump. 91% say they prefer the candidates not talk about him and talk about their issues. how do you differentiate yourself on immigration, crime, inflation when they were all good under trump? it's almost an impossible task. you will see some kamikaze drones and others try to praise trump. it is an impossible balance. i don't know how they will do

it. >> kayleigh, what is the biggest challenge for the candidates tonight? >> the biggest challenge is breaking through and bin noticed on a stage of eight people. he is exactly right. don't attack trump. let chris christie do that on his, because emission. i am told by the desantis campaign they are taking the fight directly to biden. doesn't sound like they have a big focus on trump. they will focus this on being a two man race taking it to biden. meanwhile tim scott says his campaign says they feel like they will get some barbs so they are ready to punch back if necessary. the biggest threat i think for these candidates, you have to play defense and offense. play defense and field the attacks and the barbs coming at you. but you have to play offense and when voters and be memorable. that's a very hard task. >> as pete knows you have to have the sword and the shield to be fun to watch the combat. thanks, guys. >> thank you.

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fox news alert. the stage is set and we are moments away from the first republican primary debate of the season. joe biden will be a punching bag this evening, deservedly so. he spent the entire month of august on vacation amidst an exploding corruption scandal and the deadliest wildfire in modern american history. he left a pilates class this afternoon in lake tahoe. yep, a pilates class. and spoke to reporters for the first time in what feels like months. will you watch the debates later? >> i will try to see. >> what is your expectation for the gop debate?

>> i have none. >> prosecuting the case against joe biden should be easy. he is the weakest incumbent in decades and the goal of tonight should be disqualify him. the country despises his economic performance and believes we are headed in the wrong distraction. he seems incompetent or incapable of managing the country and executing the duties of the presidency. first, candidates have to make the case against joe biden himself. this case is personal. from his heartless performance in hawaii and afghanistan to his cowardly lack of communication with the american public to allegations of corruption and to is dishonest and dishonorable use of the fbi and justice department. it is clear that joe biden and his lackluster vice president are unfit to occupy the oval office and deliver results for the people. dishonesty, laziness, dish, sleazy narcissism. these are the core characteristics of joe biden that he cannot change.

and we cannot excuse. secondly and most important, republicans republicans must annihilate bidenomics. the economy is the top concern and the biden economic record has been so atrocious americans have lost money under his leadership. record inflation, reduced wages and sky high rates are doing great harm to our families. record illegal immigration and wacko doodle energy policies are also squeezing bank accounts with no end in sight. biden has been callous. from the canceling of the keystone pipeline to firing unvaccinated workers to doing nothing to defend inner-city store owners. biden's creeping corporate socialism and student loan bailouts to wealthy grad students are an insult to the great american work ethic. republicans who make that case must than pivot to what they will replace it with. not platitudes, not walking us, not the stated policies of the past.

tonight we need modern, commonsense solutions to reduce inflation, crime and illegal immigration. tap into the cultural currents. mentioned the oakland women pistol whipped and dragged across the pavement. zero in on that. draw the country's attention to it. revolting spectacles like this are the direct result of left-wing policies. gas prices are now patting over $4 per gallon. tell us what that means for iowa farmers? maybe mention the fact that biden officials drilled 114 gaping holes in the border wall so that antelope could migrate through. instead, 1400 illegals per day are migrating through the antelope openings. some of them are chinese nationals. ask if your son or daughter dodged taxes, dumped an illegal gun, funded an international sex trade ring. would they get off with a warning? katie pavlich is the editor of townhall.com and mollie

hemingway is editor of "the federalist". both fox news contributors. obviously you want to counterpunch. but the attacks against the joe biden economic record, katie, have to be front and center. do think the candidates understand that? >> i think they do understand it. there is a huge contrast especially with someone like ron desantis. inflation from democrats in washington, d.c. under the leadership of president joe biden is a boot of the federal government on the next of every american in the country. it's a permanent tax. it cost people thousands of dollars a year when their wages are not going up. it affects everybody and not just a top issue for republicans. it's a top issue for independent voters as well. also mr. empathy, inflation is not an empathetic thing to place on the country. it's a horrible thing that makes everybody's lives much worse. when someone like ron desantis is taking government off of people's backs and enabled them

to grow in their own way economically, to prosper without the government getting involved and making it so they cannot make their own decisions about their future. >> molly, kd is right. it's about character when it comes to how callous the president has been with regard to his policies. do you think the republicans on stage tonight will be able to paint a colorful portrait of that? >> it would be a good strategy for them to focus on that. people want to see pugilist them. they want to see fight. they don't actually view the vast majority of people on stage as their enemy. they view the policies and the people associated with the democrat party as people they would like to see these candidates effectively push against. it is not just president biden. it's a whole party of people. but president-elect biden himself provides a target rich environment. he's a very weakened president and does have personal scandals and issues with his own senility or difficulties doing his job.

the personal scandal is not his son's. it is his and it relates not just to him running the family business but also overseeing a department of justice that has been completely corrupted as he's gone after opponents in the political party and defended the biden family. that's what a lot of voters will be looking for on the stage tonight. who understands the actual threats? who understands the problems with the economy and the border, the problems with how we are doing foreign-policy right now? they want people to speak to those issues that they care about. >> the assault against voters, donald trump himself, do the candidates understand that they can make that a bigger issue about this overwhelming and desperate attempt to demolish anybody that questions their policies and authority, kd? >> they have to make it a huge issue. you cannot live in the united states of america where justice is supposed to be applied equally and tolerate what has gone on with this department of

justice against donald trump and his attorneys, against the very people who president trump says that he is representing. that the regime and the department of justice wants to go after. is not just people who have worked for the former president. it is catholics who want to go to mass. it is parents who want to show up at school board meetings to talk about issues that are happening to their students when young women are put in danger by transgender policies in these schools that they try to then hide from parents. this is an issue that affects americans all over the country and it is certainly something that republicans have to deal with if they want to see the america that we all love and that is supposed to be an equal up of the law and not opposition of government. >> i don't know if you caught the sound at the top from one of the voters who says i don't care how likable these guys are. i don't want to like them. i don't have to like them. all i care is i have more money in my bank account. is that something you think the

american voters feel generally? that they don't even want to like the person running for office? they just want results? >> a lot of people will say that. it is true that the economy is a very important issue. this is something republicans should think about because the economy was so doing so well under the previous administration and is doing so poorly right now. it is true that people are swayed by how the media characterizes different candidates. that would be another thing i would say. candidates tonight should think about how much low regard people have for corporate media. how they cover issues. how they have lied about the biden family corruption. how they lied about the state of the economy. go ahead and realize the media are a political opponent that smart and savvy republican candidates should go against. spec any chance you get to stick a dagger in the media and front of a republican audience like that, take that opportunity. ladies, thank you guys so much.

>> thank you. let's bring in bill hemmer and dana perino who are on site. i don't know if you pert pete hegseth. he described the mood as nervous anxiety based on how monumental things are. is that the vibe? >> we will see. >> it is also 109 degrees. things are about to get hotter. >> have a good one. thank you, jesse. welcome to wisconsin. good evening from milwaukee. we are less than 30 minutes away from the opening salvo in this first debate of the republican presidential campaign season. >> eight candidates will be on stage in the fiserv forum behind us. they will be fighting for their political lives. a great performance could jumpstart a path to the white house. but a poor showing could be lights out tonight. >> coming up during the next half hour we will check in with our debate on raiders brett baier and martha maccallum. we will talk to