Former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have dominated the Republican presidential nomination fight for much of the year, but neither dominated the debate stage
This combination of photos shows Republican presidential candidates, top row from left, Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, and Vivek Ramaswamy, bottom row from left, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Vice President Mike Pence, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson.Former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov.
The former president scheduled counterprogramming with an interview aired on X, formerly known as Twitter, while his team suggested that the debate was essentially an audience to see who’s best positioned to serve as his running mate.At the center of the stage, and the center of the debate’s hottest exchanges, was a 38-year-old man who no one expected to be there even a few months ago – a novice candidate and technology entrepreneur named Vivek Ramaswamy.
Haley attacked Ramaswamy’s argument that the U.S. shouldn’t support Ukraine in its defense against Russia’s invasion. “Under your watch, you would make America less safe. You have no foreign policy experience and it shows,” Haley told him, standing directly to his left.It took more than an hour for the candidates to confront the elephant not in the room.
Haley called on her opponents to be honest with voters that a federal law that imposes an abortion ban on all states would likely never get through the narrowly divided Congress. She said the issue should be sent back to the states. She also made a personal appeal. DeSantis rarely waded into the back-and-forth, preferring to wait for a moment when he could give a lengthy statement. His critics – especially Trump – have hammered him for being awkward and wooden, and he had relatively few opportunities to dispel that impression.
The candidates were asked whether Pence did the right thing by letting Congress certify Joe Biden’s presidential election victory on Jan. 6, 2021. DeSantis was notably quiet and had to be asked twice by the moderators for his answer. “I’ve answered this, Mike did his duty, I’ve got no beef with him,” DeSantis said, contending that Democrats wanted the GOP to talk about Jan. 6 while pivoting to the future, saying the election has to be about Jan. 20, 2025 – the day the next president is sworn in.
She also explicitly referenced the general election even as she remains a longshot in primary polls. Some of her most memorable moments came when she sparred with Ramaswamy on whether the U.S. should send weapons and funding to Ukraine.Trump has almost made it a prerequisite for people vying for his party’s nomination to claim that he won the 2020 election. In 2022, Republican candidates in several debates were quick to say they disbelieve the 2020 election results.
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Vivek Ramaswamy takes center stage, plus other key moments from first Republican debateEight Republican presidential candidates met on the debate stage for the first time Wednesday night
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Vivek Ramaswamy takes center stage, plus other key moments from first Republican debateEight Republican presidential candidates met on the debate stage for the first time Wednesday night. Former President Donald Trump didn’t participate, of course.
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Vivek Ramaswamy takes center stage, plus other key moments from first Republican debateEight Republican presidential candidates met on the debate stage for the first time Wednesday night
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Vivek Ramaswamy takes center stage, plus other key moments from first Republican debateEight Republican presidential candidates met on the debate stage for the first time Wednesday night
Read more »
Vivek Ramaswamy takes center stage, plus other key moments from first Republican debateEight Republican presidential candidates met on the debate stage for the first time Wednesday night.
Read more »
Vivek Ramaswamy takes center stage, plus other key moments from first Republican debateEight Republican presidential candidates met on the debate stage for the first time Wednesday night.
Read more »