The first Republican debate was on Wednesday, August 23, 2023, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Eight candidates took to the stage to discuss their policy agendas and exchange a few barbs. The party's frontrunner, former President Donald Trump, did not attend. Instead, he aired a previously recorded interview with disgraced former Fox News personality Tucker Carlson on X (formerly known as Twitter) and prepared for his latest indictment.
Meet the Republicans
Many of the candidates who did show up have been causing quite a stir. The most well-known was former Vice President Mike Pence, whose approval rating in his party dropped when he moved ahead with the vote to certify Joe Biden as the next president of the United States on January 6, 2021. Despite his vocal disapproval of Trump, Pence is running for more than just a chance to prevent the former president from taking office again. Inspired by his Christian faith, Pence hopes to restore a sense of morality many in the party believe is lacking in the United States.
Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, however, is considered the de facto front-runner. He has campaigned on promises to use the same tactics employed in his home state to run the country, a new brand of Republicanism that focuses less on small government and more on expanding executive power, which he has used to pass more regulations on education, LGBTQ+ rights, and immigration.
Nikki Haley, former United Nations ambassador under the Trump administration, claims to be a "political underdog" and was the only woman on stage. With previous experience as the governor of South Carolina, Haley is no stranger to politics. She is known for her positions on economic policy and intention to cut spending and boost profits for American businesses. Haley was also one of the few Republicans on stage who were vocal about leaving social and hot-button issues, like abortion and LGBTQ+ rights, up to state governments.
Boasting over ten years in politics, Sen. Tim Scott, also of South Carolina, worked his way up from local positions to becoming a US senator in 2013. He is the only Black Republican in the Senate, though he does not center his race or discussion about race in his campaign. The cornerstone of his campaign rhetoric is the idea of the "American dream," and he uses himself as an example of what any American can achieve if they are willing to "work hard enough" and "pull themselves up by their bootstraps."
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was also present. His campaign is unique in that a desire to derail Trump's has emboldened him to throw his hat in the ring. Like Haley, Christie is a pro-life Republican but believes the best strategy for stronger abortion regulation is to leave the matter up to the states. He also holds traditional conservative views on gender-affirming care and the war in Ukraine, supporting more legislative hoops for Trans people to go through and continuing to spend US money on foreign policy.
One face that may not be as familiar to the Republican Party was Vivek Ramaswamy. A political outsider and businessman, Ramaswamy initially made a fortune investing in faulty Alzheimer's medication. At 37 years old, he is the youngest candidate; if elected, he would be the youngest president in US history. Like Trump, Ramaswamy uses his "political outsider" identity as a selling point, which conservative voters seem to glom onto. He has also positioned himself as a very far-right option and tended to stand with Trump whenever questioned about the legitimacy of his campaign.
For anyone wondering if Doug Burgum was even at the debate, the answer is yes, he was. The tech entrepreneur turned North Dakota governor held to a low profile as louder candidates often overshadowed him. He raised his hand at one point to say he would still support Trump as the party's nominee, even if Trump is convicted of multiple crimes (as did all the other candidates other than Christie and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchison). Burgum is polling at less than 1% currently.
In fact, Hutchinson barely made it into the debate, due to low polling numbers. Like Christie, Hutchinson has vocally expressed disdain for Trump and was the only candidate to stand firmly against supporting Trump if he gets the nomination.
Candidates debate a national abortion ban
Many viewers noted that Wednesday's debate felt akin to the pre-Trump Republican Party. Without the populist candidate on the stage, other Presidential hopefuls discussed policy issues such as abortion, climate change, and the economy without devolving into name-calling games and ad hominem attacks. In fact, for the first hour, hardly anyone even mentioned the former president.
A heated moment occurred between Haley and Pence when the latter suggested a federal ban at 15 weeks and pressed other nominees to agree to prioritize such as well. Haley, on the other hand, approached the issue with caution.
"I am unapologetically pro-life. Not because the Republican Party tells me to be, but because my husband was adopted and I had trouble having all my children, so I am surrounded by blessings," Haley began. "When it comes to a federal ban, let's be honest with the American people — it will take 60 Senate votes and a majority of the House. Let's find consensus."
However, Pence stood firm on his anti-abortion policy. "To be honest with you, Nikki, you're my friend, but consensus is the opposite of leadership," he jabbed. "When the Supreme Court returned this decision to the people, they didn't just send it to the states only. It's not a states-only issue. It's a moral issue."
While Haley's plea for a national consensus confused many viewers and outraged those on the far right, her stance also was a tactic to place herself closer to the middle of the political spectrum, suggesting that she could be a viable candidate if she were to make it to the general election. Pence's strong stance for a national abortion ban, though likely unachievable, as Haley noted, may have also been a tactic to woo Iowa caucus voters, who tend to be evangelical Christians.
Ramaswamy calls for end to Ukrainian aid
Candidates also talked about where they stand on the war in Ukraine. The shining star of the debate, Ramaswamy, made the bold claim that America should stop supporting the war effort altogether. "I find it offensive that we have professional politicians on this stage that will make a pilgrimage to Kyiv to help Zelenskyy without doing the same thing to help people in Maui or outside of Chicago or Kensington. I think we have to put the interest of Americans first," he said.
Pence wasn't afraid to spar with Ramaswamy and questioned why he would support Vladimir Putin by reducing aid to Ukraine. "[Putin] is a dictator and a murderer, and the United States of America needs to stand against authoritarianism," Pence said to much applause.
Aside from Ramaswamy, most candidates were united in their foreign policy of "peace through strength abroad" approach.
DeSantis has previously spoken about the war in Ukraine not being in the best interest of the people of the United States, but he was not vocal about it in the debate. One of the reasons may be that DeSantis' campaign has promoted him as the "reasonable" alternative to Trump. He is hoping to gain the support of the college-educated base that is less likely to support Trump and happens to have more money to give to campaigns. While he didn't entirely condemn US support, he said that Europe should be pressured to give more to Ukraine, which the audience seemed to agree with. He also mentioned that US funds should be spent defending the southern border.
While Ramaswamy stood alone with his desire to pull aid from Ukraine, he isn't alone in the Republican Party. Many conservatives share his view that aid to Ukraine is a waste of money and resources.
Raise your hand if you believe in climate change
In one of the most dystopian moments of the debate, moderators Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum asked the candidates to raise their hands if they believe climate change is "manmade." They responded with cagey answers, dodging the question left and right. DeSantis argued that prompting them to raise their hands was akin to a classroom (though most of the questions asked would be illegal to bring up in a Florida classroom).
No candidate would answer the question until Ramaswamy broke the ice. "Let me be clear," he started. "I am the only person on this stage who is not bought and paid for, so I can say this — the climate change agenda is a hoax, and we have to disclose it immediately." The crowd erupted in a chorus of boos and jeers at Ramaswamy's assertion, but he continued. He also claimed that more Americans have died of "bad climate change policies" than climate change and that the "anti-carbon agenda is the wet blanket of our economy."
Raise your hand if you'd roll over and let Trump scratch your belly
Halfway through the debate, the moderators asked candidates to raise their hands if they would support Trump if he won the nomination and were convicted. Nearly everyone did. Ramaswamy was the first to shoot his hand into the air confidently. Next was Haley, Scott, and then Burgum. DeSantis looked over and then put his hand up as well. The crowd was cheering loudly. Pence also raised his hand. Christie and Hutchinson were the only two who did not say they would support Trump, though the former momentarily put his hand in the air.
Christie retracted his gesture a moment later, stating, "Whether or not you believe the criminal charges are right or wrong, the conduct is beneath the office of President of the United States," to which many applauded. "Donald Trump said it's okay to suspend the Constitution," he continued. "Now, the oath you take is to protect and defend, not suspend. I will always stand up for our constitution regardless of the political pressure."
Pence also took a moment to defend his actions on January 6. "I chose the Constitution of the United States, and I always will. I had no right to overturn the election, and Kamala Harris will have no right to overturn the election when we beat them in 2024," he said.
Candidates danced around Trump, avoiding bringing him up whenever possible. As one pundit put it, "Trump was the 'elephant not in the room.'" While they all hoped to woo Republican swing voters who opted for Biden over Trump in the last election, nobody, it seemed, wanted to alienate the Trump base, given the possibility that the former president and potential felon may still win the nomination. The crowd seemed on Trump's side, booing Christie and Hutchinson when they walked onto the stage.
"This election is not about January 6th of 2021. It is about January 21, 2025. When the next president takes office," DeSantis said after one moderator asked him whether or not he supported Pence's actions. "I've answered this before," DeSantis continued hesitantly. "Mike did his duty. I've got no beef with him. But here's the thing: Is this what we're going to be focused on going forward? The Democrats would love that."
The one candidate who wasn't shy to voice support for Trump was Ramaswamy, potentially because, as a political outsider, he has no other elections to win. "President Trump, I believe, was the best president of the 21st century," he said. "If people at home want to see a bunch of people blindly bashing Donald Trump without an iota of vision for this country, they can just change the channel to MSNBC right now."
Ramaswamy walks away with more clout
Despite coming in as a political outsider, a person of color, and a position far lower than Trump and DeSantis in the polls, Ramaswamy carried himself as if he were leading the debate. His firm stances put him to the right of many other candidates on all issues and gained several rounds of applause from those attending. He also earned criticism from some who felt threatened by his presence.
"I've had enough already tonight of a guy who sounds like ChatGPT standing up here," Christie said to Ramaswamy amid boos and jeers from the audience. "The last person in one of these debates who stood in the middle of the stage and said, 'What's a skinny guy with an odd last name doing up here?' was Barack Obama, and I'm afraid we're dealing with the same type of amateur."
While the night certainly would have gone differently had Trump made an appearance, his absence gave the candidates a rare opportunity to focus on issues. Ramaswamy walked away with much more air time than anticipated and a slight jump in polls. DeSantis underperformed and came across as wishy-washy on issues he had already voiced strong opinions on. Haley also appeared as a serious candidate, with her sights set on the general election, though her politics may seem a bit too 2006 for Republican voters of today.
Despite his absence, Trump remains the front-runner, with an average of 50.3% in polls as of August 30. DeSantis has 14.8%, Ramaswamy 9.2%, Haley 5.6%, and Pence 4.4%.