Republican presidential candidate and former biotech executive Vivek Ramaswamy captivated the audience with his bold and unconventional approach at the first Republican candidates’ debate for the 2024 U.S. presidential campaign. The event took place in Milwaukee on August 23, 2023.
Brian Snyder | Reuters
The political newcomer, Vivek Ramaswamy, stood out during the initial Republican presidential debate with his assertive and unconventional approach.
While former President Donald Trump did not attend the event and attempted to undermine its ratings, he remained a central topic of discussion throughout the two-hour debate.
Ramaswamy, a 38-year-old entrepreneur, staunchly defended Trump amidst a barrage of attacks from his fellow candidates on the Milwaukee stage.
Ramaswamy forcefully expressed his views 16 times during the debate, including an accusation that all seven of his rivals were “bought and paid for” by special interests. In return, he weathered 11 attacks from his opponents, as reported by NBC News analysis.
Despite being considered an underdog for the GOP nomination, Ramaswamy managed to dominate the attention, overshadowing higher-profile contenders such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott.
Surprisingly, DeSantis, who has received extensive media coverage as Trump’s main rival in the primary field, was not a primary target for attacks. He had the least speaking time among the candidates and was directly targeted only twice, according to NBC.
Former Vice President Mike Pence had the most speaking time, exceeding 12 minutes, while Ramaswamy and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie each spoke for over 11 minutes, according to The New York Times.
Sen. Tim Scott spoke for just over eight minutes, falling behind former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley and only slightly surpassing North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson.
The candidates clashed on various issues, with abortion policies taking up the most discussion time, as reported by The Times.
However, the second most discussed topic was Trump, the absent front-runner who continues to maintain a significant lead over his primary rivals in national polls.
Trump opted not to participate in the debate, citing his unwillingness to subject himself to attacks from candidates significantly trailing him in the polls. Instead, he pre-taped an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, which was released on social media shortly before the debate began.
Despite Trump’s attempt to divert attention from the debate, his presence loomed over the event. He was mentioned 23 times during the debate in Milwaukee, according to NBC.
The moderators dedicated an entire segment to questioning the candidates about Trump, who is scheduled to travel to Georgia on Thursday evening to face charges related to his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to President Joe Biden.
All the debaters, who had pledged to support the eventual GOP nominee, were asked to raise their hands if they would continue to support Trump even if he is convicted of crimes “in a court of law” in relation to his ongoing criminal cases.
Six candidates raised their hands, while Hutchinson kept his hand down and Christie appeared to wag his finger in disagreement.
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