The first Republican presidential primary debate had plenty of fireworks, despite the fact that Donald Trump declined to appear on the Milwaukee stage on Wednesday.
The eight GOP candidates who did participate exchanged harsh words as they all vied for the nomination for president. Many chose to attack each other in hopes of siphoning off support among the slice of the GOP electorate that wants new leadership for the party as they hope to knock off President Joe Biden.
Here are the winners and losers from the first debate night:
Winner: Mike Pence
The former vice president has faced regular criticism for his refusal to overturn the 2020 presidential election on behalf of Mr Trump. But during the debate, the normally mild-mannered midwestern former governor came out swinging against businessman Vivek Ramaswamy. The former vice president regularly attacked the political neophyte, at one point attacking Mr Ramaswamy as inexperienced.
“Now is not the time for on-the-job training,” Mr Pence said said. “We don’t need to bring in a rookie.”
Similarly, the former vice president took aim at former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, who said that Republicans needed to find consensus when it came to the topic of abortion.
Former Vice President Mike Pence speaks as former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie listens during a Republican presidential primary debate hosted by FOX News Channel Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023, in Milwaukee.— (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
“Nikki, you’re my friend, but consensus is the opposite of leadership,” he said, though he used it to argue for a national 15-week abortion ban, which might play well with primary Republicans, but could be politically radioactive for suburban and women voters.
But Mr Pence’s biggest moment came when he defended his decision to not overturn the 2020 presidential election.
“I put my left hand on Ronald Reagan’s Bible, I raised my right hand, and I took an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. And it ended with a prayer so help me God,” he said, saying that he rejected Mr Trump’s overtures.
“He asked me to put him over the Constitution. And I chose the Constitution, and I always will.”
Loser: Vivek Ramaswamy
In recent weeks, Mr Ramaswamy has caught fire and has risen in Republican primary polls. But as the only candidate who has not held elected office, many Republicans hit him for his inexperience, most notably former New Jersey governor Chris Christie.
“I’ve had enough already tonight of a guy who sounds like ChatGPT,” Mr Christie said, comparing Mr Ramaswamy to former president Barack Obama for his inexperience.
Republican presidential candidate and former biotech executive Vivek Ramaswamy speaks at the first Republican candidates' debate of the 2024 U.S. presidential campaign in Milwaukee, Wisconsin— (REUTERS)
Similarly, Ms Haley, who served as US ambassador to the United Nations during the Trump administration, slammed Mr Ramaswamy for his naivete when it comes to the war in Ukraine.
“And the problem that Vivek doesn’t understand is he wants to hand Ukraine to Russia, he wants to let China eat Taiwan. He wants to go and stop funding Israel,” he said. “You are choosing a murderer over a pro-American country.”
Loser: Donald Trump
The former president elected not to attend the first debate. But while the former president had a pre-taped interview with Tucker Carlson, nobody was there to defend Mr Trump.
Ms Haley took multiple shots at the former president, noting how the federal deficit ballooned under his administration. Similarly, she noted that Republicans would not be able to win with him at the top of the ticket.
“We have to look at the fact that three-quarters of Americans don’t want a rematch between Trump and Biden,” she said. “And we have to face the fact that Trump is the most disliked politician in America. We can’t win a general election that way.”
A viewer watches former President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's interview by Tucker Carlson on the platform 'X' on their phone in Miami, Florida, USA— (EPA)
Similarly, Florida Gov Ron DeSantis hit the former president for his policies on Covid-19 and listening to medical adviser Anthony Fauci during the early days of the pandemic.
“You don’t take somebody like Fauci and coddle him,” he said. “You bring Fauci in you sit him down, and you say, Anthony, you are fired.”
Mr Trump was the elephant in the room, but his rambling interview with Carlson gave GOP voters a preview of the Republican Party without its standard-bearer.
Winner: Chris Christie
The former New Jersey governor was one of the first elected officials to endorse Mr Trump in 2016. But Mr Christie has become the loudest critic of the former president in the presidential primary. Given the deep support the former president has, he will likely face an uphill climb to the GOP nomination.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks during a Republican presidential primary debate hosted by FOX News Channel Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023, in Milwaukee— (AP)
But Mr Christie loudly criticised the former president give his multiple legal troubles.
“We have to stop normalizing this conduct,” he said to a mix of applause and boos. “Whether or not whether or not you believe that the criminal charges are right or wrong, the conduct is beneath the office of president of the United States.”
Winner: Nikki Haley
As the only woman on the debate stage, Ms Haley occasionally had a few good barbs during the debate, along with her attacks on Mr Ramaswamy and critiques of Mr Trump. During one of the heated exchanges between Mr Christie and Mr Ramaswamy, Ms Haley touted the benefits of having a female nominee.
“I think this is exactly why Margaret Thatcher said if you want something said ask a man, if you want something done, ask a woman,” she said.
Similarly, she acknowledged that Republicans likely would not be able to pass a national abortion ban given that it would require 60 votes in the United States Senate. However, she called for making contraception readily available, which will likely not play well with some factions of the GOP.
Loser: Ron DeSantis
The Florida governor is currently in a distant second to Mr Trump after long being touted as a viable alternative. Since then, he’s faced numerous negative headlines about raising less money than Mr Trump and shedding staff as his campaign fails to catch on. Mr DeSantis tried to throw red meat to the GOP faithful when he talked about sending US special forces to Mexico “on day one” and touting how he kept the state of Florida mostly open during the Covid-19 pandemic.
But for the most part, few Republicans felt a need to engage with the Florida governor. Indeed, when he was asked about whether Mr Pence did the right thing on January 6, he said he had “no beef” with the former vice president whose life was threatened that day and complained about being asked about it instead of policy. In response, moderator Bret Baier hit him with a cold truth.
“Former President Trump is beating you by 30-40 points in many polls,” he said.
Neutral: Tim Scott, Asa Hutchinson and Doug Burgum
North Dakota Gov Doug Burgum arrived on the debate stage after being hospitalised for a basketball injury, while Asa Hutchinson pulled off a miracle for making it to the debate stage at all. Similarly, Sen Tim Scott of South Carolina has long been touted as a favorite of Senate Republican leadership and the donor class.
But other than that, the three men did little to distinguish themselves. While Mr Burgum certainly had a polite temperament and made self-deprecating jokes, his responses to questions likely didn’t do anything to win people over. Similarly, in previous generations, Mr Asa Hutchinson would be seen as a staunch conservative given his work with the National Rifle Association and tenure as an impeachment manager during Bill Clinton’s trial. But Mr Christie mostly eclipsed him as the anti-Trump candidate.
Lastly, Mr Scott mostly served as a non-presence. Few of his Republican opponents engaged with him and he earned very few applause lines. If he is to come into second place, he will need to have a better breakout moment.
