First GOP Debate Recap
/The first 2024 debate has concluded, and though the missing elephant tried to steal its thunder, it was an entertaining and—at times—substantive debate. Some left a good impression and others will probably fade.
Breakdown
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis
It was expected that everyone would jump at the chance to throw attacks at the man sitting at number two in the polls, but DeSantis emerged mostly unscathed. Every opportunity DeSantis could get, he bragged about Florida and what they were able to accomplish in the state from education to firing Soros-funded prosecutors, and absolutely obliterating Democrats in elections. Many of the candidates talk about what they want to do. DeSantis can talk about what he’s already done. He did feel rehearsed and a bit awkward. “America’s decline” should have been on the bingo card Trump’s team created to mock him instead of their left-wing lies. But if DeSantis doesn’t become more personable or at least natural on the debate stage, Donald Trump’s charisma will swallow him whole.
But he did personalize his messaging. For example, he talked about a woman who survived an abortion and humanized the victims. Overall, the media’s assessment of his performance has been favorable.
Considering he wasn’t attacked; it’s possible candidates are already considering consolidating power and dishing out endorsements once they start dropping out. It’s not impossible for DeSantis to win Iowa, and he might pick up momentum from there.
Vivek Ramaswamy
Ramaswamy clearly had two goals on that stage: to be a Trump surrogate and to stand out amongst the crowd by being an enemy combatant. In return, he was treated as such by his rivals, but he gained praise in the eyes of many Trump voters who see him as a possible alternative. The slick-talking pharma salesman accused his rivals of being slogan-driven, bought-and-paid-for politicians. Now, I could literally quote Ramaswamy’s lines as he uttered them, so it’s disingenuous to pretend he’s not rehearsed or full of slogans himself. He certainly took shots at former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who called him a ChatGPT and noted his line about being a “skinny kid with a funny last name” was a rip-off of Obama. Ramaswamy promptly reminded Christie of that big hug he gave the former president, and that Christie would help elect him like he did Obama.
He boldly said he would pardon Trump and would support the president even if convicted. When questions of climate change came up, Ramaswamy firmly said, “Climate change agenda is a hoax,” giving the impression he doesn’t believe in climate change at all (which is a sharp contrast to past remarks), and that he was the only one willing to be honest about the subject. But the other candidates began to explain they believe in climate change but don’t want the economy to be destroyed, which is closer to Ramaswamy’s past stated positions.
He also sparred with former Vice President Mike Pence and former Governor Nikki Haley. Pence swiped at his age, which was unbecoming of him: the Constitution says 35 is old enough to run, and Ramaswamy is 38. But Haley did give him a good talking to.
Overall, many Trump supporters, such as Donald Trump Jr., complimented Ramaswamy’s performance. Many will remember his passion, and he’ll have a lot of great soundbites for social media. However, Ramaswamy did overplay his hand as an aggressive outsider and was even booed by the crowd. He’s got a lot of ideas, but his inexperience showed at moments.
Vice President Mike Pence
Mike Pence, surprisingly, was the first to start throwing shots at Vivek Ramaswamy and was very aggressive while fighting for time. He criticized his young competitor on his dark depiction of America, while Pence suggested the people are still great; it’s the government that has failed them and needs to be better. He came to fight, but his campaign feels futile. He feels like a man out of time, like Captain America found in a block of frozen ice. But Pence doesn’t have a super soldier serum flowing through his veins. Though, he does have conviction. He’s probably the most genuinely conservative person on the stage, but he’s living outside of his moment.
With Trump not present, Pence had to take the brunt of the administration’s failures and defend their successes. Pence was a topic of conversation when candidates were asked whether or not he was correct in certifying the election. No one said otherwise. Pence did try to make it known to the audience that Trump tried to get him to violate his oath of office, but his response and delivery were dragging on so long, that I doubt he made the desired impact.
Governor Nikki Haley
Nikki Haley came in to be the adult in the room. She gave Ramaswamy a good talking-to on the subject of foreign policy, she leveled with the American people on the irresponsibility of both parties on government spending and realistic expectations of abortion legislation on a federal level. Haley is running as though she has her eye on the general election.
She defended sending funds to Ukraine passionately and competently by outlining the ruthlessness of Putin and clarifying we’re spending 3% of the military budget, but this is a dividing issue among Republicans. Ramaswamy and DeSantis both wanted to focus on domestic issues, but Haley argued the global ramifications if Putin sees success and is emboldened.
She also played the woman card, but it was a more humorous moment that poked at the men for dodging questions.
In the eyes of traditional Republicans who may want to steer away from the populist world of Trump, Haley made herself look like a good option. Haley may be a longshot in the primary, but she’d be a force to reckon with in a general election against President Joe Biden.
Governor Chris Christie
Chris Christie’s sole purpose in the campaign appears to be to derail Donald Trump. It can’t possibly be to win the primary and presidential election. He said nothing to make himself popular among Republicans. He said some frank statements and was even booed a few times, but if his goal is to inform voters that Donald Trump’s actions where, in his words, “beneath the dignity” of the presidential office, he got his moment to say so. He also took epic swipes at Ramaswamy, including telling the audience that Ramaswamy had far different opinions in his book (Nation of Victims). As someone who paid for Ramaswamy’s book to vet him, I appreciated Christie bringing it up. His young competitor accused Christie of having a vendetta against President Trump, and I don’t think Ramaswamy is wrong about that, but he probably still feels Trump is wrong for the party and the nation moving forward.
Christie isn’t a dumb man. He must know he has no chance of winning a Republican primary, but he probably sees his role to put Trump down as serving his country.
Senator Tim Scott
It didn’t go unnoticed by my family that the first question directed at Senator Tim Scott was about welfare benefits. We’re not accusing Fox News of deliberately doing that because Scott is black, but the cringe surged throughout the room. Unfortunately, because of Ramaswamy’s insults derailing the official questions, the second question asked of Tim Scott was, “Are you bought and paid for?” He accidentally said, “Absolutely.” The question was repeated, and he corrected the record. “Absolutely not.”
Scott had moments when he spoke up for education and the necessity to “break the backs of the teacher’s unions,” but Scott really did fade in the debate. He has an amazing story of perseverance and achievement, but we didn’t need to hear that he came from a single-mother household three times. It might have been more.
He didn’t get a lot of speaking time, and at one moment when he tried to squeeze in some more talking points, after the first bell, another one rang. He talks a bit slowly, and he is really too soft-spoken on the crowded stage. The debate didn’t do anything to make him rise through the ranks, and he was already polling low.
Governor Asa Hutchinson and Governor Doug Burgum
These two governors were at the end of the stage since they had the lowest polling. Besides Burgum’s quip at the beginning about breaking his leg, they were largely forgettable. They touted conservative values implemented in their states while insisting we keep with small government principles. Respectable positions, but they don’t have the juice to rise in the field.
Notably, Governor Hutchinson would not commit to supporting Trump if he were found guilty. He also floated the idea that Trump could be disqualified under the 14th Amendment due to the “insurrection,” but he hasn’t been charged with that.
