Key takeaways from the Republican Presidential Debate

Donald Trump is skipping the first 2024 Republican presidential primary debate as he faces election subversion charges. 

That said, eight of his primary rivals butted heads Wednesday night at the first 2024 Republican presidential primary debate. Here’s a quick overview of the standouts from that debate:

Vivek Ramaswamy: 38-year-old Trump defender Vivek Ramaswamy is a first-time candidate and the target of many rebuttals for much of the night after highlighting that “a president can’t do everything.” 

Ron DeSantis: DeSantis had set the expectation that he would be the main character for much of Wednesday night’s debate but seemed not to want to risk his second-place standing in the polls after a debate performance that seemed closely guarded and reliant on rehearsed lines that should be familiar to those who’ve already heard him speak. 

Chris Christie: Christie’s night was highlighted by his “ChatGPT” line against Ramaswamy. When asked if he would support Trump if convicted of a crime, Christie responded that the party needs to stop “normalizing this conduct,” which drew boos from the crowd. 

Tim Scott: Many had judged Tim Scott for his Mr. Nice Guy routine that kept him out of many exchanges.