Vivek Ramaswamy faces heat at first Republican debate: Highlights, key moments, takeaways

The first debate to pick the next Republican contender for US presidential election took place on Wednesday (August 23) night. North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina governorof Indian origin Nikki Haley, former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson, former vice president Mike Pence, Indian-origin entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and South Carolina senator Tim Scott took to the debate stage in Milwaukee, hosted by Fox News.

The biggest talking point of the night remained someone who was notably absence: frontrunner and former president Donald Trump.

During the debate, when the moderators posed the question of whether the GOP leaders would support Trump if he is the party's nominee, even if he is convicted by the courts in ongoing criminal cases, nearly all candidates replied in the affirmative.

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Chris Christie, one of the most vocal critics of Trump seemingly remained the only one to not lend his support to the former president.

“Here is the bottom line. Someone’s got to stop normalising this conduct. Whether or not you believe the criminal charges are right or wrong, the conduct is beneath the office of president of the United States," said Christie, who was met with a round of boos.

It was at this instance that Ramaswamy interjected and said: “President Trump, I believe, was the best president of the 21st century."

The 38-year-old entrepreneur suggested Christie was running for a contributor spot on MSNBC rather than for president. He also urged viewers to switch channels to MSNBC if they wanted to "watch someone blindly bash Trump".

DeSantis, on the other hand, said: "This election is not about January 6 [Capitol riots for which Trump is facing the heat]. As Republicans, we need to look forwards."

Former vice president Pence took the opportunity to pat his own back for going against Trump and upholding the spirit of the American Constitution.

"I took an oath to defend the US Constitution. Everyday for four years, I kept that oath. Everyone on this stage needs to say if they can keep that oath. President asked me to put him over the constitution, but Ichose the constitution."

Ramaswamy gets swarmed

While Ramaswamy had the upper edge in the first hour of the debate, his defence was slightly shaky when questions regarding Ukraine were posed. Most of the candidates vowed to continue support to Ukraine in its war with Russia but Ramaswamy persisted with his pre-primary rhetoric.

He suggested that supporting that country when the US hasn’t fixed its own problems was “disastrous.” Consequently, Haley and Ramaswamy had a heated debate on the Ukraine funding issue.

Haley, perhaps at her most aggressive on the night, took a swipe at Ramaswamy and said: “Look at what Putin did today. He killed [Wagner Group mercenary leader Yevgeny] Prigozhin. When I was at the UN, the Russian ambassador suddenly died. This guy is a murderer and you are choosing a murderer."

"You have no experience in foreign policy, and it shows."

Earlier in the debate, Pence called Ramaswamy a "rookie" while Christie referred to him as someone who "sounds like ChatGPT".

Watch |Trump pastor attacks Vivek Ramaswamy’s Hindu faith, says there will be “strange gods in White House”

Pence vs. Haley on abortion

On the abortion issue, there was significant disagreement among the GOP leaders. While Haley attempted to strike a middle ground, Pence crossed her saying it was a question of leadership.

"Can't we all agree that we should ban late-term abortions? Can't we all agree that we should encourage adoptions? Can't we all agree that doctors and nurses who don't believe in abortions shouldn't have to perform them?" asked Haley in a rhetorical sense.

To which Pence replied,"I'm a champion of life. Consensus is the opposite of leadership. It's not a states-only issue, it is a moral issue. Can't we have a minimum standard in every state that when a baby is able to feel it should not be allowed for abortion. A 15-week minimum ban is necessary."

Climate change, a hoax, according to...

When asked by moderators if the candidates believed climate change is caused by humans by a show of hands, Florida Governor DeSantis interjected saying: "We're not school children, let's have the debate."

The moderators didn't go to all eight candidates but Ramaswamy managed to chime in, saying he believed climate change was a "hoax".

The first primary may not have had a clear winner but it showed the deep divides present within the GOP. Trump may not have attended the primary but he certainly emerged to benefit from the chaos created by his fellow party leaders.

(With inputs from agencies)

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