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Eight Republican presidential primary candidates clashed over politics and policies Wednesday night at their first debate, a prime-time event that former President Donald Trump, the prohibitive leader, skipped.
While there was no frontrunner on the stage, the pack of candidates jockeying for a chance to springboard to the lead threw punches and punchlines, and many of them centered on 38-year-old tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, whose surprisingly strong polling numbers placed him at center stage.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who is running second or third among voters in the critical early voting state of New Hampshire, called Mr. Ramaswamy, who leads him in many polls, “a guy who sounds like ChatGPT,” and an “amateur” who’s done nothing for the country except run for president.
Mr. Ramaswamy promoted himself as an outsider and “the only person on the stage who isn’t bought and paid for,” and outlined his agenda for resuscitating the economy by opening up energy production and cutting spending and regulations.
SEE ALSO: Winners, losers in the first GOP presidential debate
The candidates clashed significantly on U.S. military aid for Ukraine, which Mr. Ramaswamy called “a no-win war” that should not be a priority for America. Former Vice President Mike Pence said it was critical to push back Russian President Vladimir Putin and stop him from expanding Russia and threatening NATO countries.
“I want to let the Ukrainians fight and drive and the Russians back out into Russia,” Mr. Pence said.
Former U.N. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley also attacked Mr. Ramaswamy over his opposition to U.S. military aid for Ukraine, aid to Israel and other allies.
“You have no foreign policy experience and it shows,” she said.
Mr. Christie compared Mr. Ramaswamy to then-Sen. Barack Obama when he ran for president with little leadership experience in 2007.
“I’m afraid we are dealing with the same type of amateur,” Mr. Christie said.
Mr. Ramaswamy responded by asking Mr. Christie for a hug, in reference to Mr. Christie’s much-criticized warm greeting of then-President Obama in New Jersey following a major storm and just weeks before the critical 2012 presidential election in which Mr. Obama won a second term.
Mr. Pence dismissed Mr. Ramaswamy as a “rookie.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, leading all the second-tier candidates in the polls, tried to cut a path through the brawl from his center-stage podium next to Mr. Ramaswamy, arguing that Republicans “have got to look forward and we have to make sure we are bringing a message that can win in 2024.”
He said the U.S. should focus not on foreign wars but rather on the emergency along the U.S. border, where illegal immigrants pour in by the thousands every month along with illegal, lethal drugs.
Mr. DeSantis promoted his record running the Sunshine State and accused the Trump administration of allowing lockdowns and mandates during the Covid pandemic.
“A major reason we are in this mess is because of how this federal government handled COVID-19 by locking down this economy,” Mr. DeSantis said. “It was a mistake. It should have never happened.”
The debate took place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a key battleground state that will host the GOP national convention next year.
Mr. Trump tried to upstage the event with a recorded interview with Tucker Carlson that aired opposite the debate on X, formerly Twitter.
He called the people pushing criminal cases against him “savages” and warned about “a level of hatred I’ve never seen” in the country.
He also said he expects opponents will try to steal the 2024 election from him.
Mr. Trump unloaded on his GOP rivals. He called Mr. DeSantis, who is in second in the polls, “a lost cause.”
He said Mr. Christie didn’t get a job in the Trump administration because he wasn’t trustworthy.
Asked about supporting Mr. Trump if he becomes the nominee, all but one candidate, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, said they would.
The former president is now facing 91 criminal charges in four separate cases and he leads all candidates by double digits.
Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum also made the debate stage but were mostly drowned out by the brawling candidates in the center of the stage.
Mr. Scott called for “breaking the backs of the teacher’s unions” to improve education. He said he would cancel plans to hire thousands of IRS agents and instead would hire thousands of new border patrol agents.
Mr. Burgum said he would bring out the best of America and improve every American life.
“I’ll secure the border, I’ll get this economy sprinting, not crawling like it is right now,” he said.
The GOP candidates on the debate stage were vying for breakout performances amid some polls that show a majority of primary voters prefer an alternative to Mr. Trump but are undecided on who it should be.
Mr. Trump has signaled he doesn’t plan to participate in future debates, citing his commanding lead in polls. He also has said he will not sign the RNC pledge to support the eventual Republican nominee if he falls short.
The Trump campaign claimed victory hours before the debate kicked off.
“President Trump has already won this evening’s debate because everything is going to be about him,” said Chris LaCivita, a senior strategist for the Trump campaign. “In fact, tonight’s Republican undercard event really shouldn’t even be called a debate, but rather an audition to be a part of President Trump’s team in his second term.”
Mr. Trump has maintained — and in some cases expanded — his polling dominance despite getting hit with a series of indictments that have pulled his attention away from the campaign trail, and threaten to land him in prison for the rest of his life.
The limelight will be back on Mr. Trump on Thursday.
The 77-year-old plans to surrender to the authorities in Atlanta after he was indicted on sprawling charges related to his efforts to interfere in the results of Georgia’s 2020 election.
Mr. Trump’s debate absence created an opportunity for some of the lesser-known contenders to introduce themselves to a national audience, share their vision for the future of the Republican Party and the nation, and present themselves as the best alternative to Mr. Trump.
To win a spot on the debate stage, the candidates needed to have at least 1% in three national polls or in a mix of national and early-state polls and rake in 40,000 individual donors to their campaigns from at least 200 unique donors per state in 20 or more states.
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, businessman Perry Johnson, conservative commentator and former California gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder, and former Rep Will Hurd of Texas failed to qualify. Their longshot campaigns are now on death watch.
Mr. Trump holds a 26-point lead in Iowa, and a 31-point lead in New Hampshire, according to the latest Real Clear Politics average of polls.
• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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