The eight candidates who took part in the first presidential debate for the US Republican primary showed divisions over divisive issues, such as support for Ukraine and Donald Trump, but also expressed consensus on their opposition to abortion.
In a debate marked by the absence of former President Donald Trump, who was polled as the number one representative of the Republicans in the 2024 presidential election, several topics were discussed by Fox News moderators, such as the economy, climate change and increased crime. or china..
But no topic has raised the spirits like the United States’ continued support for Ukraine and support for Donald Trump if he is convicted on any of the four criminal charges he faces, underlining the deep divisions the Republican Party plagued.
Among the most dissenting voices were former US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley – the only woman in the dispute – and Indian-American biotechnology entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
Ramaswamy defended that if elected he would not send more aid to Ukraine, saying US interests should be a priority.
“I think it is disastrous that we are protecting ourselves against an invasion across someone else’s border when we should be using those same military assets to prevent an invasion from our own southern border, here in the United States,” said Ramaswamy , which received applause from the audience.
For his part, Haley claimed that only a relatively small portion of the US military budget is allocated to Ukraine and that winning the war by Russia would be a victory for China, which will “devour Taiwan”.
Haley has argued that defending Ukraine is an attempt to avoid a world war, labeling Russian President Vladimir Putin a “murderer” and blaming him for the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the Russian mercenary group Wagner .
The candidate raised her voice and declared that Ramaswamy would make America less safe if elected, emphasizing that the businessman “has no foreign policy experience, and it shows.”
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and former Vice President Mike Pence, the only two candidates to visit Ukraine, also called for continued support for Kiev.
And it took an hour of debate before Donald Trump’s legal issues came up for discussion, with moderators wondering if the eight participants would still support the tycoon as a Republican presidential candidate if convicted.
Again, would-be White House residents differed, but Chris Christie — Trump’s most critical nominee — and former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson were the only ones to refuse to support the magnate in the event of a conviction.
In one of the most tense moments of the debate, Christie was heavily booed for saying Trump had violated the US Constitution.
“Your conduct falls within the office of the President of the United States,” he said.
Christie also defended Mike Pence for refusing to give in to Trump’s pressure to reverse his 2020 election defeat, a position also championed by Haley and Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, long touted as Trump’s main rival within the party, declined to answer questions about the attack on the Capitol and clearly refused to side with Pence.
In contrast, Vivek Ramaswamy, who boasted throughout the debate that he was the only “apolitical” candidate on the list, cemented his position as a staunch supporter of Trump, whom he classified as “the best president” in the country.
Hutchinson, for his part, warned that the Republican Party faces a “serious problem” over Trump’s actions and suggested the tycoon could be disqualified from the 2024 presidential election.
Faced with the divisions caused by issues such as Ukraine and Donald Trump, the controversy surrounding the issue of abortion eventually rallied the consensus of all eight candidates, who resolutely positioned themselves as “pro-life.” However, they differed on the ban on abortion at the federal level.
Haley said he was “unapologetically” against abortion, but found the federal ban unrealistic and called for not “demonizing” the issue and for areas of consensus to be found.
Doug Burgum, a wealthy former software entrepreneur now serving his second term as governor of North Dakota, has opposed a federal ban on abortion, arguing that it should be decided on a state-by-state basis.
“What works in New York will never work in North Dakota,” says Burgum, who signed a ban in her state after six weeks of pregnancy.
Hutchinson interjected by saying it is acceptable for abortion to be legislated at the national level, and Scott declared it “immoral” and “unethical” for states like California and Illinois to allow late-term abortions, adding that a president “fight for his life”. .”
Trump, who boycotted the debate because he considered it futile to subject himself to attacks from opponents if he leads the party’s polls, also appeared in a pre-recorded interview with Tucker Carlson, a well-known far-right host who was fired by Fox News in April. and broadcast on the social network X (formerly Twitter).
Given Trump’s absence from the stage, DeSantis was expected to gain notoriety while becoming the target of opponent attacks, but that ultimately did not happen, with the governor keeping a low profile on most issues.
On the other hand, Vivek Ramaswamy, 38, managed to stay at the center of the debate on several occasions, earning strong applause from the public and criticism from competitors on topics ranging from foreign policy to climate change.
Source: DN
