Eight Republican presidential candidates exchanged barbs at the first debate for the 2024 elections on Wednesday as they jockeyed to position behind Donald Trump. The front-runner was absent, but he derided it in a taped interview intended to divert viewers.

The two-hour raucous debate gave a glimpse of the challenges that the candidates face as they try to unseat Trump from the top spot.

The former president chose to skip the debate, but his opponents were still able to take shots at each other to see who could be the best alternative. This was five months before Iowa’s first Republican presidential nomination contest and over 14 months before Election Day.

Vivek Ramaswamy was the most dynamic participant in the Fox News debate.

Ramaswamy is a Trump supporter who has been rising in the national polls. His more experienced opponents have been launching a barrage of attacks at him, as they perceive him to be a greater threat than DeSantis.

Former Vice President Mike Pence stated that “we don’t need a rookie” while former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said Ramaswamy sounded “like ChatGPT”, a reference made to artificial intelligence.

Ramaswamy responded by highlighting his outsider status, calling everyone on stage “bought-and-paid for,” and accusing DeSantis as a “super PAC” puppet. This is a reference independent political action groups that raise unlimited amounts of money from individuals and corporations.

He took the most isolated position in regards to the Ukraine-Russia conflict, saying that it wasn’t a priority of the U.S. Nikki Haley a former UN ambassador, was furious at his remarks.

The debate was seen as potentially pivotal for DeSantis whose campaign is riven with staff turmoil and a steady but slow decline in polls.

Trump, who is still the favorite of Republican voters, despite the four criminal charges against him, chose not to attend the event and instead streamed a friendly online interview with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson, which began minutes before the debate started. During its 46-minute duration, the interview was viewed by 74,000,000 people on X (formerly Twitter).

Trump refused to answer Carlson’s provocative questions, including whether civil war would break out in the United States. He stuck to familiar themes, such as false claims he had won the 2020 elections, promises to tighten immigration control, and insults directed at President Joe Biden, and his Republican opponents.

He asked Carlson, “Do I have to sit through an hour or two, or whatever the time frame is, and be harassed by people who shouldn’t be running for office and a broadcaster that’s not particularly friendly to me?”

The debate was held a day prior to Trump’s surrender to authorities in Atlanta, where he would be charged with trying to reverse his loss of the election in Georgia.

Six of the eight candidates who debated on Wednesday raised their hand when asked if they would still support Trump even if he was convicted of a criminal offense. They were North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum; DeSantis; Haley; Pence and Ramaswamy. Senator Tim Scott.

Asa Hutchinson, the former Arkansas governor, and Christie, who raised his hand first before waving his finger, declined. Both were vocal critics against Trump’s attempts to reverse his loss in the 2020 elections.

“Whether you think the criminal charges against the president are true or false, this conduct is below the office of President of the United States,” Christie declared to the boos of a partisan and rowdy crowd.

This led to a heated back and forth between Ramaswamy – Trump’s staunchest defender – and Christie, Trumps’s strongest critic among Republican candidates.

Ramaswamy replied, “You are making me laugh.” Christie responded, “You’re not being honest. Your claim that Donald Trump is motivated solely by revenge and grievance”

Most Republicans, according to polls, view Trump’s criminal charges as political in nature. This makes it difficult for his opponents to discuss the issue.

DeSantis dropped six points in the latest Reuters/Ipsos survey released this month. He now holds 13% of the Republican vote nationwide. No other candidate has broken into double digits.

‘COUNTRY DECLINED’

From the beginning, both candidates attacked Biden, a Democrat. The debate was opened by Fox News hosts Martha MacCallum & Bret Baier.

DeSantis stated that “Our country is on the decline.” “We must reverse the Bidenomics to give middle-class families a chance at success again.”

Polls show that many voters, including those who voted for Biden in 2020, believe the economy has deteriorated in his first three years as president due to persistent inflation.

The candidates were asked about abortion. This is a topic that has been a source of controversy for Republicans since the U.S. Supreme Court eliminated statewide abortion rights last year.

Pence, who is the most ardent anti-abortion opponent on the planet, criticised Haley’s statement that a bipartisan agreement must be reached about a federal strategy.

Haley, the first woman to be nominated for the Republican Presidential nomination, said it was impossible to support nationwide limits, given the Democratic opposition.

DeSantis did not say whether he supported a national ban similar to the six-week Florida ban. He said he understood different states might take different positions.

He said, “I understand that Wisconsin will do things differently than Texas.” “But I’ll support the cause of Life as Governor and President.”