Milwaukee hosted the first Republican presidential debate Wednesday night. Eight candidates vying to become the party’s nominee for president in 2024 participated in the event, discussing topics ranging from the economy, China, abortion, violence and energy.
But much of the focus of the candidates onstage at the Fiserv Forum seemed to be on businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, who was characterized as inexperienced and unaware of the job of the presidency.
“The last person in one of these debates . . . who stood in the middle of the stage and said ‘What’s a skinny guy with an odd last name doing up here?’ was Barack Obama, and I’m afraid we’re dealing with the same type of amateur standing on the stage tonight,” said former New Jersey governor Chris Christie:
On the topic of abortion, when asked about Wisconsin’s near-total abortion ban, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said that he would stand on the side of life. “Look, I understand Wisconsin is going to do it differently than Texas. I understand Iowa and New Hampshire going to do it different, but I will support the cause of life as governor and as president.” Earlier this year, DeSantis signed a six-week abortion ban into law in Florida.
Former president Donald Trump chose not to participate in the Fox News sponsored debate, citing his large lead in polls as one reason not to be there. Trump instead appeared in a pre-recorded interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, via the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.