Bradenton FL, Fighting. Unwavering support of a person whose public image is wavering. People missing from the roster. Quips about reading comprehension. No, this is not the new season of “Survivor” or “Keeping Up with the Kardashians,” it is the Republican Primary Debate for 2024’s presidential election!
The first Republican Primary Debate for 2023 took place on August 23, and boy, was it exciting. People across the nation tuned in to watch this historic event take place and oh what a show they got.
The candidates (who showed up to the debate), this year included the Florida Gov., Ron DeSantis, Doug Bergum, Chris Christie, Nikki Haley, Asa Hutchinson, Mike Pence, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Tim Scott, aka, South Carolina’s Senator. Recognizing most of these names is not very difficult, except for Ramaswamy who is, in Mike Pence’s own words during this debate, a “rookie… without experience,” and an entrepreneur.
So, because this debate seems harder to digest than previous year’s, a highlights reel is in order.
Starting out strong is Nikki Haley, the governor of South Carolina. The questioned posed directly toward Haley was “why are you better positioned to turn around this economy that we have heard all the voters talking about tonight?”
Haley’s response followed Trump’s republican administration and the ways in which the economy was failed. Something interesting though is the way she talks of the COVID relief bill being passed during Trump’s presidency.
She criticizes the way it left our economy, which is an interesting take because those stimulus checks during 2020 were what ensured many did not end up on the streets. But she does make a point in comparing Democrats to Republicans in 2024’s projected budget.
Republicans requested $7.4 billion in money designated for any specific purpose, whereas Democrats had only requested $2.8 billion. Nikki Haley, above all else, is a businesswoman. Hence why she proceeded to state “I think it’s time for an accountant in the White House.”
Another topic that was on the hot seat for this debate was abortion. Oh boy. Abortion is one of those topics that you do not bring up at a family function because it will practically end in plates being smashed. However, the Republican candidates were all too happy to share their views on it.
DeSantis, who has been adamant about his views on abortion throughout his term as Florida’s governor stated that he will “support the cause of life as a governor and as president.” From a debate standpoint, this response is not a bad idea. It tells you how he feels about the topic but does not confirm or deny anything that he would or would not pass in relation to these viewpoints.
However, the response from his fellow candidates allows for the audience to peek behind the curtain and put two and two together through comparison. DeSantis had assigned a six-week maximum on abortions in Florida, which is still an extremely controversial choice.
In comparison, Tim Scott and Mike Pence supported a far more attainable system by the Republican party, a ban on abortion after 15 weeks. More than six, less than the usual 20-24. Then, on the other side of things, a less attainable plan comes from Doug Bergum opting to outlaw abortion entirely in the name of “freedom and liberty for the people.”
People on the internet had some choice words to say about all their responses, but the backlash to Burgum’s was by far the worst. Granted, it was already running rampant when he signed the law in the state of North Dakota. Now that he is posing it as a potential federal law should he be elected, you will be shocked to know that people are still angry about it.
Another fun topic happened during the final lightning round, when Chris Christie was asked about UFOs in present day America. I guess you could say the question was… out of this world… the joke was right there. MacCallum, the interviewer questioned if Christie would “level with” US citizens about government knowledge should he become president. He stated that “The job of the president of the United States is to stand for truth. The job of the president of the United States is to be a role model for our children and grandchildren.”
But there’s one moment in the debate that caused quite a bit of discourse online: when all the candidates were asked if they would support Donald Trump should he be convicted. The kicker was, all but two of them said yes.
For context, Donald Trump has been indicted four times over criminal charges including being involved in a scheme to pay hush money to Stormy Daniels over an alleged affair. He was recently arrested over these charges, causing everyone around him to go berserk.
That is the man that all but two of the republican candidates this year stated that they would support. Chris Christie, one of the two who disagreed with his peers said that “someone has got to stop normalizing this conduct,” and that the behavior was “beneath the office of the President of the United States.”
Donald Trump was also the only presidential candidate to not show to this debate which may have been a good move by his PR team. However, as silly and filled with buzz words as these debates are, they do give a good peek into the world of politics.
Our political systems are in an interesting state right now, that we can all agree on. These debates are important to the American people’s decision on November fifth of next year, as a fundamental right to vote for their new president. So only time will tell if the decision they make is a good one.
