The 2024 GOP presidential primary is now officially underway as several candidates face off on the debate stage in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but the biggest elephant is not in the room.
Former President Donald Trump, in a snub to debate network Fox News, instead sat with former Fox host Tucker Carlson for a taped interview rolled out right before the debate on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
However, several other GOP candidates–Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie–are set to appear on the stage. Fox News anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum are moderating the debate.
Follow along here on Breitbart News for live updates and analysis of the goings-on both on the debate stage and off where other news, particularly Trump’s interview with Carlson, is being made.
UPDATE 11:35 p.m. ET:
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), another Trump supporter, crashed the spin room despite Fox News’s ban on Trump supporters:
“No Trump surrogates,” but @RepMattGaetz has crashed the #SpinRoom pic.twitter.com/FcTcLzNzSa
— Joel Pollak (@joelpollak) August 24, 2023
UPDATE 11:34 p.m. ET:
After an objectively terrible debate performance where one moderator Bret Baier actually literally admitted during it that the network had lost control of the debate during it, now Fox News is openly trying to censor supporters of former President Donald Trump:
Fox News has just told us that we’re not allowed to come into the spin room. Fox News is engaging in a censorship campaign for anyone that wants to advocate for President Trump who is overwhelmingly winning the Republican primary.
— Marjorie Taylor Greene 🇺🇸 (@mtgreenee) August 24, 2023
When GOP members of Congress are openly saying on record publicly that the Fox News Channel is censoring them because they are Trump supporters, Rupert Murdoch’s company has a serious problem.
UPDATE 11:30 p.m. ET:
Many are saying Ramaswamy won the debate on stage this evening:
Debate performance ranking:
1.) Vivek Ramaswamy – Polarizing. Some think cocky. Some think refreshing. But people are talking about him. That’s a win.
2.) Tim Scott – Flew under the radar but likable.
3.) Ron DeSantis – Good moments. But no excuse for not being number one.…
— Will Cain (@willcain) August 24, 2023
I’ve seen enough….
Vivek wins this debate.
Call it!
— Graham Allen (@GrahamAllen_1) August 24, 2023
Vivek wins, Desantis and Scott tie for 2nd, All others Huge Fail …so far #GOPDebate
— David J Architect (@DavidJArchitect) August 24, 2023
But others saying Haley also had a strong night:
My predicted debate “winners” as far as post-debate polling/media boomlets, relative to where they were:
1. Nikki Haley (wins)
2. Vivek Ramaswamy
3. Ron DeSantis
4. **Maybe** Christie rallies Trump haters???The rest honorable mentions. Trump still on top. #GOPDebate
— Andrew Clark (@AndrewHClark) August 24, 2023
UPDATE 11:20 p.m. ET:
This moment where DeSantis screwed up on Ukraine–and then Ramaswamy nailed it–is particularly salient and part of why Ramaswamy is surging right now:
Vivek Ramaswamy just smoked Ron DeSantis 😂😂😂
Look at Meatball’s face as he tries to squirm into justifying giving away our tax dollars to Ukraine….
RON DESANTIS IS A NEOCON!
ALL of them support funding Ukraine, except Ramaswamy.
Kudos to him. https://t.co/0fbzblG6tp… pic.twitter.com/CoXRcsXw3k
— UltraMJTruth (@MJTruthUltra) August 24, 2023
UPDATE 11:03 p.m. ET:
The debate finally comes to an end, and it’s hard to see how anything changes in this race much after this. If anything, this probably solidifies and intensifies the current trajectory of this race.
UPDATE 10:59 p.m. ET:
Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) says what most Americans are thinking:
A lot of the people on stage are nice people but none of them is Trump and none will win the nomination. Let’s end this charade and stop wasting Republican money attacking our inevitable nominee. Donald Trump for president.
— J.D. Vance (@JDVance1) August 24, 2023
UPDATE 10:56 p.m. ET:
Some are saying Ramaswamy was the winner of those on stage because everyone came at him hard:
. @VivekGRamaswamy is the clear winner.
Everyone attacked him because they see him rising.
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) August 24, 2023
Meanwhile, others are saying DeSantis’s demeanor during the debate did his flailing campaign no favors:
Rep. Matt Gaetz tells me “Doug Burgum has a ruptured achilees tendon and he looks like he’s in less pain than Ron DeSantis.”
— Juliegrace Brufke (@juliegraceb) August 24, 2023
UPDATE 10:54 p.m. ET:
Fox News is being roundly panned for a total and complete failure of a debate:
For the most part, this debate was not in anyway representative of where the base of the Republican Party is.
Most of these candidates miss the moment.
It’s not difficult to see why Trump is by far & away the front runner.— Sean Parnell (@SeanParnellUSA) August 24, 2023
UPDATE 10:46 p.m. ET:
Bret Baier just lectured the candidates again. “We’re getting control of this debate,” he said, admonishing those candidates speaking over each other.
UPDATE 10:42 p.m. ET:
The effort to gang-tackle Ramaswamy–apparent by basically every candidate on stage fighting with him, from Pence to DeSantis to Christie to Haley and more–shows a lot about the past of the Republican Party:
A lot of this debate shows what the Republican Party was for decades before Trump — following and giving voice to changes among GOP voters — transformed the Party on foreign policy by prioritizing Americans and the US above new foreign wars.
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) August 24, 2023
The efforts to attack him do not appear to be working though as Ramaswamy is surging in web search traffic:
Vivek Ramaswamy is actually getting some impressive search traffic from the debate, beating out every other candidate so far — and even Trump for a good part of the night pic.twitter.com/6VUqbWVZC8
— G Elliott Morris (@gelliottmorris) August 24, 2023
UPDATE 10:32 p.m. ET:
If you want an indicator about who is winning this debate: The Trump-Carlson interview is now at 78.9 million views and still growing.
UPDATE 10:30 p.m. ET:
DeSantis brings up “Angel moms”–parents who have lost children because of open borders policies in crimes committed by illegal aliens. If it isn’t a first in a presidential debate, it is still a huge moment.
Shortly after, Pence cited successes during the Trump administration on immigration enforcement.
UPDATE 10:28 p.m. ET:
DeSantis says “yes” when MacCallum asks if the U.S. should send special forces military units into Mexico to take out fentanyl traffickers.
UPDATE 10:23 p.m. ET:
For what it’s worth, regardless of that back-and-forth with Ramaswamy, Haley seems to be having a very strong night and continues zoning in on policy and handling herself well outside of the food fights dominating much of the rest of the stage. Haley is probably going to see her numbers rise after this performance. The others? Unclear.
UPDATE 10:20 p.m. ET:
Now Haley and Ramaswamy are going back and forth over Ukraine. Ramaswamy is hammering Haley for what he says are “lies” and Haley argues he has “no foreign policy experience and it shows.”
UPDATE 10:17 p.m. ET:
Pence and Ramaswamy are now duking it out over Ukraine. Pence is defending supporting aid to Ukraine, and Ramaswamy is arguing that doing so is taking America’s eyes off the real adversary of the Chinese Communist Party.
UPDATE 10:14 p.m. ET:
Ramaswamy hammers those candidates he said have “made a pilgrimage” to Ukraine to see Volodymyr Zelensky.
Christie then defends visiting Ukraine.
UPDATE 10:08 p.m. ET:
Several of the candidates–particularly Christie but also DeSantis and Haley–say they think Pence “did the right thing” on Jan. 6, 2021.
UPDATE 10:05 p.m. ET:
The Trump team points out DeSantis was particularly indecisive on that matter:
WOW – Ron had to check out the rest of the stage to decide whether or not to raise his hand.
Pathetic! pic.twitter.com/Vt4iantXg3
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) August 24, 2023
DeSantis also backed up Pence for certifying the election on Jan. 6, 2021.
UPDATE 10:02 p.m. ET:
Pence and Ramaswamy are still fighting–and the crowd keeps booing Christie to the point where Baier lectures the crowd saying they are delaying getting to major issues by doing so.
UPDATE 10:00 p.m. ET:
When Fox asks who would support Trump if convicted and he wins the GOP nominee, Ramaswamy and several others raise their hands. Christie half-raised his hand and then was booed when he explained himself, then Ramaswamy bashes Christie and defends Trump.
UPDATE 9:57 p.m. ET:
Unbelievably, nearly an hour into this debate, there have been exactly zero questions about immigration or the border–and exactly zero questions about the Russian war in Ukraine and the looming threat of a potential third World War. Baier says when coming back from the second commercial break says that Fox in the second hour of the debate will ask about China, Ukraine, and immigration–but opens with questions about Trump.
UPDATE 9:51 p.m. ET:
This is a pretty good summation of things so far in the Fox News debate:
This #GOPDebate is like watching high school kids do bad model UN
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) August 24, 2023
UPDATE 9:50 p.m. ET:
After trying to push GOP candidates to back leftist views on climate change and abortion, next Fox News anchors next try to push gun control on the candidates. The story of the night so far might be how much of a food fight this debate is, thanks to anchors who have no control over what’s going on–and how the Fox News anchors are trying to push the candidates to the left on major issues. Still no immigration questions, by the way.
UPDATE 9:42 p.m. ET:
Burgum, who also says he is pro-life, argues that there should not be a federal abortion ban. He argues the Tenth Amendment precludes the federal government from doing so. “If we say the feds should be in on this one, where does it stop?” Burgum, who has signed a six-week ban in North Dakota, says it is a states’ rights issue and the federal government should not get involved.
Hutchinson then steps in and argues that it is an issue that the federal government can get involved on this–arguing that it is a “continued debate” and that Republicans need to engage nationally on life.
UPDATE 9:39 p.m. ET:
Next up on life is Pence who disagrees with Haley and argues that the issue of life is not just a state issue but a moral issue. Haley is arguing that the votes are not there for a six-week national abortion ban. But Pence argues that it is the right thing to do.
UPDATE 9:37 p.m. ET:
During the commercial break, DeSantis and Christie were seen having a powwow on stage:
“You smell like a pizza parlor” – Chris Christie, probably#GOPDebate pic.twitter.com/Xssgf34uJn
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) August 24, 2023
UPDATE 9:36 p.m. ET:
After the commercial break, the first question from the Fox News anchors is a question about whether a six-week abortion ban. That question goes to Haley, who lays out she is pro-life and explains several policies she backs.
Then the anchors go to DeSantis who is defending his signing of such a six-week ban. “What the Democrats are trying to do on this issue is wrong,” DeSantis says.
UPDATE 9:27 p.m. ET:
Fox News anchors ask the candidates to raise their hands if they believe humans are causing climate change. In response, before anyone could raise their hands, DeSantis begins yelling again and does not offer a clear answer.
Ramaswamy then suggests DeSantis’s answer suggests he meant to raise his hand. Then Ramaswamy accuses everyone else of being bought and paid for. Christie interjects to insult Ramaswamy–and the Fox anchors throw it to Haley to answer who quotes Margaret Thatcher and then launches into a policy explanation about climate issues.
UPDATE 9:22 p.m. ET:
After DeSantis pops off about COVID and lockdowns, Ramaswamy comes back and hits Pence and DeSantis as “puppets” of Super PACs and references uncovered documents from DeSantis’s super PAC crafting his debate strategy talking points.
The Fox News anchors scramble to regain control of the conversation and then throw it to Burgum and then Hutchinson for their comments on the economy.
UPDATE 9:18 p.m. ET:
Pence, during his first answer, defends his record. Then, after a back-and-forth between Pence and Ramaswamy things get a bit testy.
“Now is not the time for on-the-job training,” Pence says taking a shot at Ramaswamy.
UPDATE 9:15 p.m. ET:
Scott points to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act from the Trump administration as a way to push money back to Americans.
Ramaswamy is then asked by Baier why voters should choose him over a more seasoned politician.
“I am genuinely worried that that American dream will not exist for our two sons if we don’t do something,” Ramaswamy says, arguing that for too long even among Republicans career politicians have been hurting the country.
Haley is up next and she bashes Republicans for over-spending–she takes a shot at DeSantis, Pence, Scott, and Trump right off the bat. “I think it’s time for an accountant in the White House,” Haley says.
UPDATE: 9:08 p.m. ET:
Fox News opens the debate with videos of Democrat President Joe Biden talking about “Bidenomics” and contrasting it with Oliver Anthony’s hit song “Rich Men North of Richmond.” DeSantis gets the first question asking why Anthony’s song is resonating, and he says the country is “in decline.”
He said if Hunter Biden is getting rich off paintings while ordinary Americans are struggling, “that is wrong.”
“I showed we can get it done in the state of Florida and I pledge to you as your president I will get it done,” DeSantis said.
The second question goes to Christie, he says he “predominantly” agrees with what DeSantis said but argued that DeSantis will have a tough time winning nationally.
UPDATE 8:58 p.m. ET:
Tucker Carlson’s interview with former President Donald Trump is live on X:
Ep. 19 Debate Night with Donald J Trump pic.twitter.com/ayPfII48CO
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) August 24, 2023
The interview, slightly than 46 minutes in length, already has more than 3 million views.
UPDATE 8:55 p.m. ET:
Moments away from the debate beginning, the GOP candidates have taken their positions on the stage.
UPDATE 8:44 p.m. ET:
NBC News discovered a document that shows several Trump aides were listed as banned from the premises:
‼️This was on the security table near the metal detectors at the entrance to the debate spin room.
Jason Miller, Justin Caparole and Danny Tiso — all three Trump staffers — are specifically listed as being barred from the debate.
More on our live blog: https://t.co/51xgn19YEF pic.twitter.com/V88DdJDRY9— Dasha Burns (@DashaBurns) August 23, 2023
Jason Miller, a senior adviser to Trump, blasted Fox News for engaging in efforts to censor former President Donald Trump’s campaign:
Miller response: pic.twitter.com/meplUbyl6F
— Dasha Burns (@DashaBurns) August 24, 2023
A Fox spokesperson, though, is quoted as saying the network did not create this controversial document:
Per a Fox spokesperson: “This paper was designed and printed by the Fiserv Forum security team as a guide for candidate walk throughs that took place yesterday. FOX News Media was not involved with the production of the document and did not sanction any of the language used.” https://t.co/Lkvfxt87CD
— Dylan Wells (@dylanewells) August 24, 2023
UPDATE 8:21 p.m. ET:
In an interview with CBS News, Jeff Roe–one of the senior-most advisers to the pro-DeSantis Super PAC Never Back Down–struggled to explain the pathway forward for the candidate he supports:
With former President Trump not attending tonight’s first Republican presidential primary debate, eight other candidates will take the stage, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Jeff Roe, a top adviser to pro-DeSantis super PAC Never Back Down, joins @majorcbs to discuss. pic.twitter.com/cSogmk6dfg
— CBS News (@CBSNews) August 23, 2023
In this particularly revealing interview, Roe repeatedly says ahead of the debate that “we’re excited.” But he also would not predict during it that DeSantis will win Iowa–though he did argue DeSantis’s position is more enviable than Trump’s in the Hawkeye State. In addition, Roe in this interview refused to explain what DeSantis meant when he attacked Trump supporters as “listless vessels,” continually deferring to DeSantis himself saying he would let the governor answer that question. What’s more, Roe argued in this interview that the race is a two-man race between Trump and DeSantis despite the fact that several polls both national ones and state level ones including from Ohio, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and more show DeSantis no longer in second place behind Trump.
UPDATE 8:09 p.m. ET:
Tucker Carlson released this teaser promo clip of his interview with Trump shortly before the debate:
Donald Trump. Tucker Carlson.
Debate Night in Bedminster
8:55pm ET pic.twitter.com/w8nGhOfEdv— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) August 23, 2023
Carlson’s interview is expected to drop right as the debate begins.
UPDATE 8:03 p.m. ET:
An hour from the debate’s start, Breitbart News’s Joel Pollak–who is in Milwaukee for us tonight–sends this image of SEIU-sponsored protests outside the GOP debate:
.@SEIU protest outside #RepublicanDebate #GOPDebate #FoxNewsDebate pic.twitter.com/t6zJlftwpM
— Joel Pollak (@joelpollak) August 23, 2023
Pollak is in the spin room for Breitbart News:
Spin Room #RepublicanDebate #GOPDebate #FoxNewsDebate pic.twitter.com/KwnuK0GJfz
— Joel Pollak (@joelpollak) August 23, 2023
And he notes that the Democrats are trying to troll the GOP too:
Here’s the banner Democrats are flying over the arena. Something about MAGA Extremists™. #RepublicanDebate #GOPDebate #FoxNewsDebate pic.twitter.com/aihpu0m3po
— Joel Pollak (@joelpollak) August 23, 2023
Burgum, by the way, who injured his Achilles tendon during a game of pickup basketball, is reportedly expected to participate in the debate despite being on crutches.