Chris Christie sneaks into the fourth Republican debate and will join Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy in showdown six weeks before Iowa

Four Republican presidential candidates will take the stage in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on Wednesday night for the fourth primary debate, the Republican National Committee announced Monday.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie barely qualified for the debate after saying last month he had reached the donation threshold and saying last week he was “confident” he would meet poll demands and take the stage.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy are the other three candidates who qualified for the debate.

The stage in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on Wednesday, December 6, will be the smallest of the 2024 Republican primaries.

This comes just six weeks before the first-in-the-nation primary in the Iowa caucuses on January 15th.

Four candidates qualified for the fourth GOP presidential primary debate on Wednesday, the RNC reported Monday. From left to right: former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.

Images of the construction site at the site of the fourth presidential debate were obtained by DailyMail.com last week. It depicts five podiums, fueling speculation about a possible appearance by former President Donald Trump, but the images now released only show four podiums.

The first debate in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in August had eight candidates, but the second, held in September in Simi Valley, California, saw the number cut to seven. In November in Miami, Florida, there were only five candidates on stage.

Of the five who qualified last month, only South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott is missing after dropping out of the race days after the Miami skirmish.

After failing to advance to a second straight debate on Monday, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum announced he was suspending his campaign.

Former President Donald Trump has not yet attended any debate, arguing that it is beneath him given his huge poll lead over the rest of the field.

Speculation has mounted that Trump will finally appear on Wednesday after DailyMail.com obtained an image of the debate stage last week showing the hosting network NewsNation preparing five podiums on the debate stage at the Frank Moody Music Building at the University of Alabama.

But images since then show there are only four podiums on stage – DeSantis, Haley, Ramaswamy and Christie.

Instead of finalizing the debate, Trump will attend a private fundraiser in Florida on Wednesday night.

During the first debate, Trump posted a sit-down interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson. After missing the second, he traveled to Wisconsin to talk to picketing auto workers, and in the third he held a controversial rally just minutes from the Miami debate site.

The third debate in Miami, Florida, in November saw five candidates take the stage, but South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott (R) has since dropped out of the 2024 race.

The debate is hosted by NewsNation and moderated by former Fox News host Megyn Kelly (right), NewNation’s Elizabeth Vargas (center) and The Washington Free Beacon editor-in-chief Eliana Johnson (left).

To qualify for the fourth debate, candidates had to meet the most stringent threshold.

For donations, applicants needed to gather 80,000 unique donors, including at least 200 from at least 20 different states or territories.

They also needed 6 percent support in two national polls approved by the RNC. Alternatively, they could reach the 6 percent national poll threshold in just one poll and 6 percent in two separate statewide polls in the primary states of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada.

The debate, hosted by NewsNation, will be moderated by former Fox News host Megyn Kelly, NewNation’s Elizabeth Vargas and The Washington Free Beacon editor-in-chief Eliana Johnson.

It will air from 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm ET and can be streamed live on the Rumble.