Since Donald Trump skipped the first Republican presidential primary debate in 2024, eight of his rivals squared off for second place on Wednesday night.
The 38-year-old entrepreneur and first-time candidate Vivek Ramaswamy was the center of attention for the majority of the evening alongside Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the middle of the stage.
Around 4,000 raucous spectators watched the debate at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. The audience’s emotions, which included boos and jeers when candidates criticized Trump, occasionally drowned out the Fox News moderators.
Gov. Doug Burgum said in his final remarks that he is aware that America is struggling because “Biden’s inflation is choking us.”
Burgum asserted that “Biden’s energy policies, which are driving up the price of every product you purchase, are crushing our economy. Securizing the border is one thing I’ll do as president. I’ll get the economy moving forward, not just slowly as it is now.”
Asa Hutchinson, a former governor of Arkansas, declared that the nation needs new leadership and a president who will bring out the best in Americans.
“Joseph Biden should not serve another four years as president. The crowd booed a little when he mentioned the former president,” but he continued, “The solution is not four more years of Donald Trump. New leadership that can bring bold ideas to America and bring out the best in America” is the solution.”
During his closing remarks, Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina went into detail about the lessons his mother instilled in him.
“She taught me that in America, if you are physically capable, you work. You must repay any loans you obtain. Those who commit violent crimes are imprisoned. You compete in sports against men if God created you as a man,” he added.
Nikki Haley, a former governor of South Carolina, declared, “We have a country to save,” adding, “We will make sure we have an America that is strong and proud.”
The former US ambassador to the UN promised to “strengthen our economy and we’ll bring this inflation down.” We’ll secure our borders, support our law enforcement, and ensure that our national security is strong. We’ll also make sure that the classroom is transparent.
Chris Christie, a former governor of New Jersey, asserted that he is best suited to defeat President Joe Biden because of his previous work as a Republican elected official in a red state.
“Everyone in attendance wants to succeed Barack Obama as president of the United States. And defeating Joe Biden is the only way that will make that happen. I’m the only person on this stage to have ever defeated an incumbent Democrat in an election, said Christie.
In his closing remarks, former Vice President Mike Pence positioned himself as a capable leader who can “move a conservative agenda forward.”
In his closing remarks, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy reiterated a number of what he called “common ideals,” including the notions that “there are two genders,” “an open border is not a border,” and “parents are responsible for their children’s education.”
Ramaswamy said, “I came of age in a generation that was taught to celebrate our diversity and our differences to the point where we forgot all the ways we are really just the same as Americans, bound by a common set of ideals that set this nation into motion in 1776. And now is the time to rekindle those shared ideals.
The upcoming election, according to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, is “make or break.”
He declared, “We will send Joe Biden back to his basement and we will reverse the decline of this country,” noting that during his tenure as governor, he “made promises and I delivered on all of those promises.”
Read more: Watch: Donald Trump says Kamala Harris ‘speaks in rhyme’
