30-Minute Sit-Down Interviews with Republican Candidates to Begin Airing Wednesday  

January 2, 2024 — NBC News and The Des Moines Register, part of the USA TODAY Network, will moderate “Closing Arguments: Iowa,” a series of in-depth interviews with three Republican presidential candidates in the final days before the Iowa Caucus. The interviews will air across NBC News platforms beginning with Meet the Press NOW on NBC News NOW on Wednesday, Jan. 3 at 4:00 p.m. EST. NBCNews.com, DesMoinesRegister.com and the print edition of the Register will also feature the interviews throughout the week.

Beginning tomorrow, NBC News Correspondent Dasha Burns and The Des Moines Register Chief Politics Reporter Brianne Pfannenstiel will conduct a series of 30-minute sit-downs in the Register newsroom with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former UN Amb. and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, and Vivek Ramaswamy as each campaign makes its final pitch to caucus-goers. 

The sit-downs aim to foster substantive conversations and dig deep into the candidates’ stances on the issues driving caucus-goers’ decisions this year. 

Burns and Pfannenstiel will also cover candidates’ endgame strategy in Iowa, early state prospects going into the New Hampshire primary, the continued polling strength of former President Donald Trump, and more. 

The interview series continues an ongoing partnership between NBC News and the Register, who partnered with Mediacom in 2023 to produce the historic Iowa Poll ahead of the caucus. The poll has helped give audiences a unique understanding of the factors at play for likely Republican caucus-goers, lending key insights into the issues and attitudes shaping the race and shaping news coverage at national and local media organizations alike. 

The interviews kick off a concerted focus on Iowa for NBC News over the next two weeks, where correspondents, anchors and campaign embed reporters will offer viewers and readers an unparalleled on-the-ground look at the final weeks of the race in the first state to cast votes in 2024. 

The Des Moines Register will provide comprehensive reporting from writers and editors who have covered the candidates in Iowa for months and know the state’s political players and the history of the caucuses. 

NBC News and The Des Moines Register extended invitations to participate in “Closing Arguments” to the leading Republican candidates. Former President Donald Trump and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie declined to participate. 

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For more information, please contact: 

NBC News 
Alex Butcher-Nesbitt 
Alex.Butcher-Nesbitt@nbcuni.com

The Des Moines Register I USA TODAY Network 
Lark-Marie Anton 
Lark@Gannett.com
646.906.4087