Tonight in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, eight Republican presidential hopefuls faced off at the first GOP primary debate, addressing the nation's biggest issues. (ABC News)

Elephants in the Room: Winners and Losers of the First Republican Primary Debate

August 24, 2023
Add comment
Connor Walcott
6 min read
Add comment
FacebookXRedditPinterestEmailLinkedInWhatsApp

Eight Republican presidential hopefuls faced off at the first GOP primary debate Wednesday night in Milwaukee.

The debate lineup consisted of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former Vice President Mike Pence, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum.

Learn the benefits of becoming a Valuetainment Member and subscribe today!

Debate moderators Bret Bair and Martha MacCallum presented the candidates with a series of questions addressing the biggest issues facing voters today: everything from inflation to climate change, education to border security, and even UFOs.

Here were the winners, losers, and standout moments from tonight’s debate:

Winners

Vivek Ramaswamy

Already gaining serious momentum ahead of the debate, Vivek Ramaswamy delivered one of the evening’s standout performances. In his opening statement, Ramaswamy addressed one of the biggest concerns about his candidacy: his youth. At 38, he is the youngest candidate in the running, and this became a frequent line of attack from his fellow candidates. However, Ramaswamy fired back with comments about the need for a new generation in American politics. He attacked his opponents as “super PAC puppets” and unapologetically stated that “climate change is a hoax,” drawing boos for claiming to be the only one not “bought and paid for.”

When the candidates were asked about their intent to pardon Donald Trump, Ramaswamy was the first to raise his hand and commit to doing so — and other candidates even looked to him first before following his lead.

But while his performance was strong, certain moments ended up falling flat. Most notably, his opening statement in which he described himself as a “skinny kid with a hard-to-pronounce name” drew criticism for echoing a similar statement from former president Barack Obama’s campaign.

Ron DeSantis

Currently polling in second place, Ron DeSantis often found himself under fire as the other candidates jostled for position. But despite the incoming attacks, DeSantis did a reasonable job defending his record as Governor, particularly on the subject of COVID lockdowns and anti-woke policies. In a standout moment, he attributed the country’s struggles to Deep State bureaucrats locking down the country during the pandemic. Touting Florida’s performance during that time, he said “You don’t take somebody like Fauci and coddle him. You bring Fauci in, you sit him down, and you say ‘Anthony, you are fired!’”

DeSantis also promoted his track record of firing Soros-backed prosecutors and district attorneys in his home state.

Tim Scott & Nikki Haley

Tim Scott’s performance, while not as boisterous as other candidates, managed to have a standout moment when he declared that the key to fixing the education crisis is to “break the backs of the teacher’s unions.”

Scott was also one of the candidates who backed up former Vice President Mike Pence for his actions on January 6, 2021, when he did not certify the election in Donald Trump’s favor.

For her part, Nikki Haley spent a good deal of time on the offensive. One of her first targets was Ramaswamy, who she called out as inexperienced in matters of foreign policy. Accusing him of planning to abandon Israel and criticizing his plan to end funding for the Ukraine war, Haley accused Ramaswamy of “choosing a murderer over a pro-American country.”

Haley also went after Republicans — including her fellow candidates — who have voted to raise taxes in recent years.

Mike Pence

Mike Pence spent much of the debate simultaneously defending his time working alongside Donald Trump and distancing himself from the embattled former president. Citing the legacy of that administration, he highlighted the ways in which he helped America rebuild after Obama’s tenure.

Pence also fired back at Ramaswamy’s claim that the American people are “hungry for purpose, meaning, and national identity,” stating that all the nation needs is “a government as good as its people.”

However, as has often been the case in his campaign, the subject of the Ukraine war proved to be a stumbling block.

Losers

Chris Christie

In the most booed moment of the night, Chris Christie spoke up on the subject of pardoning or supporting Trump. A longtime critic of the former president, Christie insisted that regardless of the merits of the criminal investigations against him, Trump’s behavior is unbecoming of the office.

However, Christie gave a reasonable answer regarding equal application of the law, claiming Hunter Biden would be in prison if prosecuted under his administration. He was also notably the only candidate confronted with the subject of UFOs, and he committed to being transparent about the potential discovery of extraterrestrial life.

Asa Hutchinson & Doug Burgum

Though Asa Hutchinson delivered several decent points, the former Arkansas Governor failed to make a lasting impression with his positions. Further compounding this, Hutchinson was not called on to answer a question for more than 10 minutes after the debate began, making his silent presence on the fringes of the stage that much more noticeable. In his one noteworthy moment, Hutchinson was the only candidate who did not commit to support Trump if he is convicted and then becomes the nominee.

To his credit, Doug Burgum performed admirably simply by showing up even with a torn Achilles tendon that landed him in the hospital less than 24 hours before the debate. However, despite his perseverance, his limited name recognition, combined with few answers and a relatively weak closing statement, meant that his performance was underwhelming. Burgum is currently ranked in last place, and like Hutchinson, he was not called on for 10 minutes. He also stated that he would not ban abortion at the federal level, leaving it up to the states instead.

Another Winner?

Frontrunner and former President Donald Trump, the so-called “elephant not in the room” currently leading by nearly 40 points, opted to skip the debate in favor of a prerecorded interview with commentator Tucker Carlson. According to many, Trump won the debate without even showing up, and the entire event was just a battle for second place. We have our perspective on that one-on-one 45-minute interview as well.

Here’s a breakdown of the PBD Podcast Home Team predictions for the debate from earlier this week:

FacebookXRedditPinterestEmailLinkedInWhatsApp

Add comment

BPW 2024

TOP TRENDING

Connect

Connect with Valuetainment.