Three days away: Trump confirms he will not debate in Milwaukee

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- On Sunday, Aug. 20, former President Donald Trump made it official: he will not attend the Milwaukee debate Wednesday night and may not participate in any debates this primary season.

The former president shared the news on his social media platform, confirming what advisers told several news outlets Friday.

A political analyst we spoke with said his absence will certainly have an impact on how people watch the debate, but it will also allow for the discussion of more substantive issues.

Mordecai Lee, Professor Emeritus at UW-Milwaukee, said, "Whatever impressions are made on national TV in Milwaukee, that's going to be very lasting."

It's the relative calm before the storm, when Wednesday marks the first major inflection point in what's expected to be a dynamic republican primary race.

In Milwaukee, at least seven candidates will take the stage at Fiserv Forum. But in the days leading up to the debate, the focus has been as much on who will not be there as on those who will.

Former President Trump announced he will not participate in the debates, saying "the public knows who I am."

Lee said, "He knows how to dominate what's going to happen in Milwaukee without even being in Milwaukee."

But Lee said Trump's absence opens the door for other candidates.

And the director of the Marquette Law poll said history shows primary debates can have a big impact for lower polling candidates.

Poll Director Charles Franklin said, "We've seen candidates in single digits suddenly zoom up to the teens or 20s, and then often zoom back down. You get your opportunity, but you gotta make the most of it."

But while some will take advantage of the Milwaukee debate, others will not, and the field is likely to shrink. Depending on their performance, money and support could start to dry up, and candidates could start to fade or drop out altogether.

Wisconsin's republican primary is April 2, more than seven months after the debate, so Lee says voters should take note of everyone they like on the debate stage, not just the person they think won.

"Who's your number two? Who's your number three? Because by the time we in Wisconsin vote in the Republican primary for president, some of these people are no longer going to be on the ballot."

Wednesday's debate will begin at 8 p.m.

We have full team political coverage planned all week long leading up to the debate and beyond.