The first Republican debate took place Wednesday night (August 23) in the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. While party frontrunner Donald Trump elected to bypass the debate, his presence was undeniable all the same.
The Republican debate field was stacked with familiar faces from the GOP who have expressed aims of gaining the White House. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had all eyes on him as he was once seen as the party’s next big star. Joining DeSantis was young political upstart Vivek Ramaswamy, who managed to be the most emotive speaker of the night. Former Vice President Mike Pence was also in the group, although some observers feel his chances were dimmed after his showing.
Former governors Chris Christie of New Jersey and Nikki Haley of South Carolina brought their usual star power and camera-ready answers for the debate. Sen. Tim Scott, Gov. Scott Burgum of North Dakota, and Asa Hutchinson, former governor of Arkansas.
In our observation of the debate, Haley seemed to be the most poised for the debate stage, deftly deflecting countering shots sent her way. Given the momentum in the polls, DeSantis was expected to distance himself from the pack as he trails Trump but his showing might have him at the bottom half of the pack.
Even Christie, usually sharp during debates, didn’t bring his usual tenacity and instead took a more measured tone. As the one candidate who clearly has been critical of Trump, there was a telling moment during the debate.
When asked by the moderators to show their support via a show of hands, Christie and Hutchinson kept their hands lowered. The action stands in contrast to a pledge Christie signed to support whoever the Republican nominee for president would be.
Despite Trump’s current legal woes, the party remains aligned with him despite the few outliers. As we previously reported, the business mogul turned himself in to Georgia authorities in connection a large RICO case.
Under the hashtag #GOPDebate, the discussion surrounding the first Republican debate has been robust on Thursday (August 24). We’ve got some of the discussion listed below.
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