Aug. 23 (UPI) — The first Republican primary debate is underway in Milwaukee as eight presidential candidates make their claim for their party’s nomination.
The candidates teed off on the Biden administration to open the event, but it was not long before the candidates began trading barbs with each other.
The debate is taking place at the Fiserv Forum, moderated by Fox News hosts Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum.
Each candidate is allowed 1 minute to answer questions and 30 seconds to respond to follow-up questions and comments. Candidates did not make opening statements but will be given 45 seconds at the end of the night for closing statements.
The candidates onstage are Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
Early fireworks
Ramaswamy found himself at the center of most of the early fireworks. He called for “new blood” in the Republican Party, to cheers. However, following comments from the other candidates, he said that he was “the only one on this stage who hasn’t been bought and paid for.” Crosstalk between the candidates and a spattering of boos quickly erupted.
“Now that everybody got their memorized, prepared slogans down it’s time for a real conversation,” Ramaswamy said. “Do you want a super-PAC puppet or a patriot who speaks the truth?”
“I’ve had enough already tonight of a guy that sounds like ChatGPT,” Christie chimed back. “The last person who stood in the middle of the stage and said they’re a skinny guy with an odd last name was Barack Obama, and I’m afraid we’re dealing with the same type of amateur.”
Before the back-and-forth, DeSantis did deliver several canned comments that have been staples of his campaign thus far, including a line about sending Biden “back to his basement” and saying “decline is not inevitable. It’s a choice.”
Haley challenges Republican Party
Haley, though, broke from the party line when discussing the national debt.
“I care about telling America the truth. Joe Biden didn’t do this to us. Republicans did this to us, too,” she said. “Donald Trump added $8 trillion to our national debt. At the end of the day, look at the 2024 budget. Republicans asked for $7.4 billion a year in earmarks, Democrats asked for $2.8 billion. You tell me who are the big spenders.”
Haley also separated herself on the topic of abortion, saying the party must not be afraid of the topic any longer. She described herself as “unapologetically pro-life” but the Supreme Court should not have made a decision on something “this personal.”
“We have to stop demonizing this issue,” she said. “When it comes to a federal ban, let’s be honest with people and say it will take 60 Senate votes, it will take a majority of the House. To do that we need to find a consensus. Can’t we all agree we are not going to put a woman in jail if she gets an abortion?”
After DeSantis avoided answering the question, Pence said he would support a federal 15-week ban.
“A consensus is the opposite of leadership,” Pence said. “It’s not a states only issue. It’s a moral issue. Can’t we have a minimum standard in every state that when a baby is capable of feeling pain an abortion cannot be allowed?”
On climate change, MacCallum called on candidates who believe it is caused by human activity to raise their hands, but DeSantis stopped this from happening, remarking “we’re not school children. Let’s have the debate.”
DeSantis was critical of Biden’s response to the fires in Maui and said the “corporate media” mistreats Republicans in the climate discussion. Ramaswamy followed, saying “more people are dying of bad climate change policies than actual climate change.”
“The anti-carbon agenda is the wet blanket on the economy,” Ramaswamy said. “This isn’t that complicated. To unlock American energy we need to drill, frack — put people back to work.”
Donald Trump
Former President Donald Trump is notably missing from the debate stage. Instead he is appearing in a pre-recorded interview with Tucker Carlson on X, the platform formerly known a Twitter.
Trump is facing indictments in four jurisdictions. He is expected to surrender himself at the Fulton County Jail in Georgia on Thursday.
Baier brought Trump’s absence to the forefront, remarking that he wanted to talk about “the elephant that isn’t in the room,” as the network showed live footage of the Fulton County Jail.
For candidates to participate in the debate they were required to sign a pledge to support the Republican nominee. Baier asked them if they would support Trump if he is convicted. Ramaswamy, Haley, Scott and Burgum immediately raised their hands. DeSantis initially looked around the stage before raising his hand, followed by Pence. Christie, who has been critical of Trump over the indictments on the campaign trail, raised and shook his hand apprehensively, suggesting uncertainty, while Hutchinson’s hand stayed down.
“Someone’s got to stop normalizing this conduct,” Christie explained of his apprehensive gesture. “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.”
Some in the crowd booed Christie’s response. Ramaswamy again had a heated exchange with the former New Jersey governor, pushing back on the denouncement of the indicted former president. When Christie responded the boos were louder but he was given time to deliver a retort. Christie reiterated that Trump’s actions were beneath the office and that he would defend the Constitution.
DeSantis was asked if he believes Pence did the right thing by not cooperating with Trump’s alleged plan to overturn the results of the election. DeSantis again avoided the question, which the moderators noted, and said he aims to end the weaponization of the Justice Department.
“Is this what we’re going to be focusing on? The rehashing of this?” DeSantis said. “The Democrats would love that.”
“Let me just say, Gov. DeSantis, we spent an hour talking about policy,” Baier said. “Former President Trump is beating you by 30, 40 points in many polls. So it is a factor in the GOP primary.”
Hutchinson explained why he did not raise his hand, saying Trump is morally disqualified for his actions on Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob of his supporters stormed the Capitol in a bid to stop Biden from being certified as the 46th president of the United States.
“This is something that could disqualify him under our rules and under the Constitution,” he said.
Another candidate was nearly a last-minute scratch Wednesday. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum injured his Achilles tendon playing basketball on Tuesday. Hours before the start of the debate he confirmed on Twitter that he will participate.
I’m in pic.twitter.com/DZqLf3Yxik— Doug Burgum (Text “DOUG” to 70177) (@DougBurgum) August 23, 2023
“I’ve played lots of pick-up games in my day! This isn’t the first time one has sent me to the ER. Appreciate all the well-wishes!” Burgum tweeted.
The Republican National Committee will host a second debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif., on Sept. 27. The bar will be higher for candidates to become eligible for that debate.
Candidates need at least 50,000 unique donors to meet the criteria for the second debate. They must also have at least 200 unique donors each in 20 different states or territories. They must also poll at minimum 3% in at least one national poll and 3% in two polls from different early voting states.
They needed 40,000 unique donors and to poll at 1% in at least three national polls or two national polls and one early-voting state poll to participate Wednesday.
