Pence makes the second debate stage. Will he get his faceoff with Trump?

Former Vice President Mike Pence has qualified for the second GOP presidential debate, setting up another opportunity for a faceoff with former President Donald Trump.

Pence announced on Friday that he has hit 50,000 donors, a requirement set by the Republican National Committee to make it on stage for the second debate on Sept. 27. He had previously cleared the polling threshold, according to POLITICO’s analysis, which required getting 3 percent in a handful of polls.

Alongside Pence and Trump, five other candidates had also previously qualified for the second debate: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, businessperson Vivek Ramaswamy, former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

The second debate’s setting — the Ronald Reagan presidential library in Simi Valley, Calif. — is as fitting a location as any for a faceoff between Pence and Trump, with Trump representing a new Republican Party that has abandoned much of Reagan’s lineage and Pence’s candidacy almost an attempt to go back to an earlier, pre-Trump era of the GOP.

But it isn’t clear whether the showdown will come to fruition.

Trump has avoided sharing a stage with any of his rivals, often skipping cattle calls that other candidates attend. That is particularly true for the debates: Trump has publicly teased the idea of skipping the first debate later this month, saying he does not want to give any of his opponents the chance to steal his spotlight.

Pence has become increasingly critical of his former boss in light of Trump's multiple indictments, saying he is no longer fit to be commander in chief. “Anyone who puts himself over the Constitution should never be president of the United States,” Pence said in a statement after Trump was indicted by federal prosecutors for trying to overturn the 2020 election.

Trump has also become more critical of Pence, saying he has “gone to the Dark Side.”

Even so, Pence’s campaign said Friday he has signed the RNC’s “loyalty pledge” promising to back the eventual nominee — something that Trump has said he would not do.

At this point, Pence almost seems to be relishing the chance for a one-on-one faceoff with Trump. “I’ve debated Donald Trump a thousand times,” he said in Indianapolis at a gathering for state lawmakers recently. “Just not in front of the cameras.”

As of now, few other candidates appear likely to make the second debate. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum — who has also qualified for the first debate — has previously hit the requisite number of donors for the second debate, but will need 3 percent in at least one national poll.

And self-described “quality guru” Perry Johnson has also said he has the 50,000 donors needed. And though he appears to have qualified for the first debate in a whirlwind release of polls on Friday, he may struggle with the higher 3 percent threshold.

The debate will be hosted by Fox Business, the Reagan Foundation, Univision and Rumble. Moderators have not yet been announced.

Steve Shepard contributed to this report.