One candidate in particular drew overwhelming fire.
There was no love lost during the first 2024 Republican presidential primary debate last night. While all the candidates were swift to dunk on President Biden and each other, one in particular drew overwhelming fire: political newcomer and Ohio entrepreneur, Vivek Ramaswamy. Here’s what went down.
Ramaswamy stands in for Trump
Most candidates did all they could to avoid mentions of former President Trump, who remains the clear frontrunner for the GOP nomination. When moderators asked the candidates whether they’d support Trump if he’s convicted — noting that he currently faces more than 90 criminal counts in cases spanning four jurisdictions — most raised their hands. Ramaswamy went one further, promising to pardon him given the chance.
“Let’s just speak the truth. President Trump, I believe, was the best president of the 21st century. It’s a fact,” Ramaswamy said.
As Trump’s most vocal defender on the stage, Ramaswamy became the obvious focal point for those who’ve positioned themselves firmly against Trump. Pence took the first jab, telling him: “Vivek, you recently said a president can’t do everything. Well, I’ve got news for you, Vivek. I’ve been in the hallway. I’ve been in the West Wing. The president of the United States has to confront every crisis facing America.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis hangs back
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was set to be the center of attention, but his performance was surprisingly muted. He hesitated before raising his hand when candidates were asked whether they’d support Trump if he were convicted, and leaned on rehearsed lines, opening with the declaration “our country is in decline,” and re-emphasizing that illegal immigrants to the U.S. would wind up “stone cold dead” under his administration.
The abortion divide
Most candidates, though explicitly anti-abortion, stopped short of calling for a federal ban on stage. Mike Pence was an exception, who alongside Sen. Tim Scott called for a ban at 15 weeks minimum. Pence attacked Nikki Haley, who’d called for a consensus within the states, saying her approach was the “the opposite of leadership.”
“It’s not a states-only issue. It’s a moral issue,” he said.
As the only woman on the stage, Haley was firmly in line with her GOP peers in coming out against abortion, but called for a more realistic approach regarding a federal ban. She stressed that the candidates should be honest with the voters about the unlikelihood of one clearing the narrowly divided Congress. She also made a moral appeal, adding: “We need to stop demonizing this issue… We aren’t going to put a woman in jail … if she has an abortion.”
Former Gov. Chris Christie trips up
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has a strong track record in debates, having famously stumped Marco Rubio during the last duke-out before the New Hampshire primary by highlighting Rubio’s tendency to repeat lines. Christie had less luck against Ramaswamy, who handled Christie’s jibe over his description of himself as a “skinny kid with a funny last name” — a phrase former President Obama also used — with impressive ease.
During an exchange about the climate crisis, Ramaswamy claimed: “I’m the only person on the stage who isn’t bought and paid for so I can say this: The climate change agenda is a hoax.”
Christie interrupted, retorting: “I have had enough already tonight of a guy who sounds like ChatGPT.”
“The last person in one of these debates … who stood in the middle of the stage and said, ‘What is a skinny guy with an odd last name doing up here?’ was Barack Obama,” he continued. “And I am afraid we are dealing with the same type of amateur standing on the stage tonight.”
Ramaswamy swiftly hit back, asking Christie for a “hug” (a reference to when Obama visited Christie’s state following Hurricane Sandy).
After Christie said the party needed to stop “normalizing” former President Trump’s conduct, Ramaswamy quipped: “Your claim that Donald Trump is motivated by vengeance and grievance would be a lot more credible if your entire campaign were not based in vengeance and grievance against one man.”
