WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — The Republican National Committee (RNC) announced the presidential candidates who have qualified and will participate in the first GOP primary debate in Milwaukee Wednesday.

Only eight presidential hopefuls will take part in this year’s debate, including North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, former Vice President Mike Pence, Vivek Ramaswamy and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott.

“The RNC is excited to showcase our diverse candidate field and the conservative vision to beat Joe Biden on the debate stage Wednesday night,” RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in the press release.

Missing from the list is former President Donald Trump, who announced Friday that he will not be participating in the debate, but instead will be sitting down for a one-on-one interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

The former president’s absence has fueled Republican angst that his rivals will have little opportunity to catch up to him in the polls, The Hill reported.

There’s a growing sense among GOP lawmakers and other party leaders that Trump may have wrapped up the nomination months before the Iowa caucuses, despite facing 91 felony counts and four criminal trials.  

Another name missing from the list is Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, who had previously claimed he qualified for the debate. RNC says otherwise.

Suarez had previously said if he did not make the debate stage, he would drop out of the race. When pressed if he would hold true to that statement if he didn’t make it, Suarez told NewsNation he was confident he would be at the first debate.

The debate will air at 9 p.m. ET on Fox News on Wednesday.