US Republicans Hold First Primary Debate... 'No-Show' Trump Takes Center Stage

The primary race to determine the Republican candidate ahead of next year's U.S. presidential election began on the 23rd (local time) with the first candidate debate.

Eight candidates, excluding former President Donald Trump, attended, but the main focus of the debate was on Trump, who had announced his intention not to participate. The Republican primary candidates avoided direct criticism of Trump, who has secured overwhelming support despite legal risks, and instead engaged in tense exchanges with the competitors present at the debate.

At the Republican primary debate held at the Fiserv Forum, a multipurpose indoor arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, eight candidates attended, including Governor DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, and tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. Former President Trump had announced his absence in advance and only released a pre-recorded interview timed with the debate.

The highlight of the debate was the question of whether the candidates would support Trump as the Republican nominee if he were convicted. Trump faces 91 felony charges across four indictments. Six of the eight candidates raised their hands in response to the moderator's question, expressing their support. This reflected the judgment that attacking Trump, who holds nearly half of the Republican primary support despite legal risks, would not be beneficial for their own polling.

The only candidates who expressed opposition were former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson. Christie raised his voice, saying, "Someone has to stop normalizing this behavior," and added, "Regardless of the right or wrong of the criminal charges, the problem is that these actions took place in the office of the U.S. president."

The candidates united in criticizing "Bidenomics," emphasizing that they are the right choice to revive the economy. Governor DeSantis said, "America is in decline," and added, "We must overturn Bidenomics and give middle-class families a chance to succeed again." He continued, "We need to lower gas prices. We will open all energy production facilities and become the masters of energy." Entrepreneur Ramaswamy, who is competing closely with DeSantis for second place, said, "My parents came to this country penniless 40 years ago, and I built a multibillion-dollar company," calling this the American Dream and positioning himself as the right person to revive the economy.

Another key point of the debate was the challenge to Ramaswamy, who is emerging as a dark horse in the Republican race. Former Vice President Pence continued his strong attack, saying, "Now is not the time for on-the-job training. We do not need to put forward a newcomer." Ramaswamy is polling at 7.2%, ranking third behind Trump and DeSantis. Pence's support stands at 4%, placing him fourth. Former Governor Christie also disparaged Ramaswamy, saying, "I heard a lot of ChatGPT-like talk," and called him "an amateur of the Barack Obama type."

Meanwhile, former President Trump released his pre-recorded interview through the social media platform X. With nearly 50% overwhelming support, he strategically judged that there was no need to participate in debates with other candidates. He emphasized, "While other candidates are debating, I need to spend time on important matters," and added, "We must defeat the crooked left and reclaim the White House."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.