On August 23, the first round of the Republican primary debate occurred from 9 to 11 p.m. Eastern time in Milwaukee, sanctioned by the Republican National Committee and hosted by Fox News.

There were eight candidates other than Donald Trump, who skipped the first round. The candidates consisted of Vivek Ramaswamy, a first-time candidate, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Tim Scott, Doug Burgum, and Asa Hutchinson. Because of his position as a defender of Trump, Ramaswamy acted at times almost as a stand-in for the former president. Without the presence of the former president, some of his critics such as Christie, who Ramaswamy said is running a campaign “based on vengeance and grievance” against Trump, had to instead debate with Ramaswamy. 

Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who have dominated the Republican Presidential nomination most of the year, both failed to dominate the debate stage. Instead, Trump didn’t show and DeSantis was completely overshadowed by Ramaswamy. There was also no shortage of aggression during the debate. All the candidates took ample time for hostility to the opposition. Ramaswamy was the center of attention during the debate and certainly talked a lot of trash, as a result, he had such aggression sent in return. 

A particularly notable and devastating moment is when Christie cut in during one of Ramaswamy’s most biting attacks. 

“I’ve had enough of a guy who stands up here who sounds like ChatGPT,” Christie said, continuing about how Ramaswamy’s opening line about being a “skinny guy with a hard-to-pronounce name” reminded him of former President Barack Obama, which is hardly a compliment on the Republican stage. Ramaswamy responded by asking Christie for a “hug,” referencing when Obama visited Christie’s state following Hurricane Sandy.

It was blatantly obvious that most of the candidates were not fans of Ramaswamy, some because he is running for the first time and therefore less experienced, and some because they just didn’t like him. 

“I think Ramaswamy did well but I don’t think he’s electable, he’s young and inexperienced,” Civics teacher Patricia Bordenet said. “I don’t think he could win the general election.”

Over an hour into the debate, the candidates finally got to the topic of Trump not showing. When they did, most candidates claimed that they would support Trump even if he was convicted. That was after moderators said that Trump was facing 90 criminal counts across four jurisdictions.

Out of the many candidates, the people who watched the debate believe that DeSantis performed the best followed closely behind by Ramaswamy and Haley. Ramaswamy may have won, but that certainly doesn’t mean he will be the Republican presidential candidate.