Donald Trump is not expected to participate in the Republican primary debate which will air next Wednesday on CNN, but Fox News will feature the former president in a town hall that will run the same night at the same time.

The town hall will be moderated by Fox News hosts Martha MacCallum and Bret Baier, according to network reporter Rémy Numa. The event continues a peculiar trend of Trump subjecting himself to journalists and networks he claims do not treat him fairly.

@BretBaier & @marthamaccallum will moderate a town hall with former President Donald Trump in Des Moines, Iowa. Jan 10 at 9/8C on Fox News Channel.

— Rémy Numa (@remynuma) January 2, 2024

Trump referred to Fox News as a “hostile network” while criticizing an interview he did last summer with Baier, claiming it was “really unfriendly.”

“When I did the interview with Bret, I thought it was fine. I thought it was OK, but there was nothing friendly about it,” he said afterwards. “You know, it was nasty. And I thought I did a good job; I’ve been given credit for doing a good job.”

“No smiling, no ‘let’s have fun, let’s Make America Great Again.’ Everything was like a hit,” Trump added.

Interestingly, Baier told Women’s Wear Daily that Trump told him privately that the interview was “tough but fair.”

“Immediately after the tape stopped, he said that he thought he was strong in the interview. And he said it was tough but fair,” Baier said. “I made sure to get some of that on camera. He has since [said] it was nasty or not nice.”

The CNN debate will be hosted by Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, and comes five days before the Iowa caucuses on January 15.

Social media users were skeptical of the townhall and of Fox News for its willingness to air the event during the GOP debate — here’s a quick sampling of responses to the story, as seen on X:

Trump refuses to debate his opponents, but of course accepts Town Halls because the “moderators” will lob softball questions. Trump needs to be forced to defend his record and 2020 stupidity. He handed our country to Fauci and I want answers. @BretBaier

— Coco (@CoClarified) January 2, 2024

So you guys participate in election interference, KNOWING that at that same time there’s the Iowa debate Trump REFUSED to participate in. You guys make my blood boil.

— Evelyn (@Evelyn_Club) January 2, 2024

What a loser
Can’t debate
Can’t do a townhall w questions by randoms
Can do a townhall if structured as he wants it w questions he already has gotten
It’s like Biden & calling on pre planned reporters
If you can’t debate me on 20 hours of sleep in a week & win
Retire already

— Fred, Cantaloupe (@UR7cryptofan) January 2, 2024

The field has narrowed considerably.
It’s time for Trump to join the debate stage.

— Susie (@SoCalSister22) January 2, 2024

#pandering

Prediction: they will let him dominate the conversation and say all kinds of crazy, easily disprovable things. No followup questions.

— JustNTime (@IAmJustInTime2) January 2, 2024

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Tom Tillison

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The longest-tenured writer at BizPac Review, Tom grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills.

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