Here’s what happened in the opening debate of the 2024 race.

Jonathan Weisman

Updated

Aug. 24, 2023, 12:02 a.m. ET40 minutes ago

40 minutes ago

Jonathan Weisman

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/08/23/us/republican-debate-trump-news

 

Here’s what happened in the opening debate of the 2024 race.

Donald J. Trump was absent from the spirited showdown on the debate stage in Milwaukee, but the deep divisions that he has sown within the Republican Party were very much on display as his would-be heirs tried to capture the interest of voters largely still loyal to him.

 

The candidate who most embodied the spirit of Mr. Trump — both in style and substance — was the one who has never worked in government, the 38-year-old entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. Not only did the wealthy biotech investor embrace Mr. Trump’s isolationist views, he emulated the former president’s pugilism with a willingness to attack and to absorb the blows of multiple opponents.

 

It was all but impossible to win a debate that did not feature the front-runner, but some of the candidates could lose by not shining bright enough. Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, the candidate once most seen as the most formidable challenger to Mr. Trump, was eclipsed as the clearest Trumpian heir by Mr. Ramaswamy, who was at the center of almost every flashpoint. The two men agreed that the United States should withdraw its military support for Ukraine, but Mr. Ramaswamy grabbed attention with a crisper ideological argument.

 

Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador, has struggled in the polls, but she put herself forward as a voice of reason amid the arguing men onstage, especially on the hot button issue of abortion.

 

Chris Christie, the former governor of New Jersey, may have set out to break his party of its love of the former president, but that mission was derailed by a hostile pro-Trump audience and by his jabs at Mr. Ramaswamy, which may have bruised the newcomer but did not knock him out.

 

And other candidates who might have hoped to shock the world with a memorable line or a dazzling moment simply failed to ignite.

 

Other highlights:

 

Perhaps the most dramatic moment came when candidates were asked who would support Mr. Trump if he is convicted of crimes but still nominated. All but Asa Hutchinson raised their hands — although Mr. Christie claimed he was wagging his finger. Mr. Trump is expected to surrender to authorities in Atlanta on Thursday to face charges of leading a conspiracy to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results.

 

Mr. Trump opted instead for a recorded interview with the former Fox News host Tucker Carlson that was posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, just as the debate was starting. He drifted from topics such as the death of Jeffrey Epstein to what he called the “trivia” of the charges lodged against him in four criminal indictments. Read about the interview.

 

The debate turned chaotic when the candidates were asked to discuss climate change — and none of the candidates raised their hand when asked if they believed mankind was contributing to it. Here’s what they had to say.

 

On abortion, the candidates hewed to the party line — but differed on the idea of a federal ban, underscoring a division among Republicans.

 

The issue of Ukraine also split the candidates, with Mr. Ramaswamy coming out strongly against continued U.S. support for the democratic nation as it attempts to fend off Russia. Mr. Christie and Mr. Pence both offered strong, but differing, defenses for aiding Ukraine, reflecting more of the traditional Republican Party orthodoxy on foreign affairs.

 

Maggie Haberman

Aug. 23, 2023, 11:15 p.m. ET1 hour ago

1 hour ago

Maggie Haberman Politics reporter

In a safe space, Trump belittles rivals and revisits some favorite themes.

 

Instead of being subjected to the rigors of a debate, former President Donald J. Trump enjoyed an hour on Wednesday night in which he was able to deliver mostly stream-of-consciousness commentary on politics and the state of the nation, drifting from topics such as the death of Jeffrey Epstein and the challenges of low water pressure to what President Biden’s legs look like on the beach and what he called the “trivia” of the charges lodged against him in four criminal indictments.

 

His decision to sit out the debate and instead do a pretaped interview with the former Fox News host Tucker Carlson was a tactical one by Mr. Trump, who is leading the Republican primary polls by wide margins. Rather than appearing onstage with people competing with him but largely refusing to criticize him, Mr. Trump was able to use the leading and sympathetic questioning by Mr. Carlson to boast about what he saw as his accomplishments, belittle his rivals and attack President Biden in an unchallenged format.

 

Early in the 46-minute episode of Mr. Carlson’s show, posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Mr. Carlson asked Mr. Trump why he chose not to join the other candidates at the first primary debate of the election cycle, hosted by Fox News. Mr. Trump replied by attacking Asa Hutchinson, the former governor of Arkansas, and Chris Christie, the former governor of New Jersey and Mr. Trump’s onetime friend, whom he called a “savage maniac.”

 

Mr. Trump maintained that authoritarians around the globe were afraid of tangling with him. He again described the attack on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob on Jan. 6, 2021, as having a spirit of “love” and “unity.”

 

Mr. Carlson, who raised the topic of Mr. Epstein, asked more than once whether Mr. Trump might be killed by his opponents — Mr. Trump did not answer directly — and pressed Mr. Trump about whether the United States was in danger of falling into civil war.

 

“I don’t know,” Mr. Trump said. “There’s a level of passion that I’ve never seen. There’s a level of hatred that I’ve never seen and that’s probably a bad combination.”

 

Asked how he was enduring the four indictments he has faced since March, Mr. Trump responded, “I do get credit for holding up quite well, I must tell you.”