Eight Republican presidential candidates confronted off for the primary main debate of the 2024 election cycle Wednesday — with frontrunner Donald Trump stealing the highlight, regardless of spurning the showdown.

Trump’s snubbing of the two-hour Milwaukee occasion disadvantaged a chasing pack of rivals, whom he leads by a big margin in polling, of the chance to take pictures at him stay on stage.

He as an alternative gave a recorded interview with former Fox News star Tucker Carlson that was posted on-line minutes earlier than the controversy bought underway.

But Trump nonetheless loomed over the controversy, together with his a number of prosecutions the topic of questions from the Fox News hosts moderating the occasion.

Candidates had been requested to sign if they’d help Trump because the occasion’s nominee if he’s convicted in one of many legal instances he’s going through.

Every candidate raised their hand besides Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson and former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, who waved his finger.

“Here’s the bottom line. Someone’s got to stop normalizing this conduct, OK,” Christie stated.

“Whether or not you believe that the criminal charges are right or wrong, the conduct is beneath the office of President of the United States.”

He was loudly booed alongside Hutchinson, who added: “Obviously, I’m not going to support somebody who’s been convicted of a serious felony.”

Trump will give up to authorities in Atlanta on Thursday over his fourth indictment of the yr, for an alleged legal conspiracy to steal the 2020 election that he misplaced to Joe Biden.

Trump stated throughout his Carlson interview that it didn’t make sense for him to participate within the debate as he was main his rivals for the Republican presidential nomination by 50 to 60 factors within the polls.

He known as Biden the “worst president in the history of our country” and urged that the 80-year-old president might not be the Democratic candidate come election day in November 2024.

“I think he’s worse mentally than he is physically, and physically he’s not exactly a triathlete,” Trump stated.

“In many ways I’d love to run against him because his record’s so bad.”

Trump additionally dismissed his 4 legal indictments calling them “trivia, nonsense.”

– Fierce debate, noisy clashes –

For his closest rival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, the controversy was a much-needed probability to reverse flagging ballot numbers and exhibit that he’s a viable different.

The moderators opened with a query on hit track “Rich Men North of Richmond,” about working class alienation, prompting the 44-year-old DeSantis to warn that the nation is “in decline.”

“This decline is not inevitable. It’s a choice,” he stated.

DeSantis additionally talked about his file on conserving Florida open in the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, incomes a cheer when he mentioned how he would have fired authorities scientist Anthony Fauci.

With a seismic shift wanted to dethrone Trump, the controversy provided a showcase for candidates angling to be Trump’s working mate.

For decrease profile candidates like businessman Vivek Ramaswamy the occasion was an opportunity to introduce themselves to the broader public — in addition to make their case for jobs in a future Trump administration.

Trump’s vp Mike Pence stated he was the “best prepared” candidate for workplace however was booed throughout an change with Ramaswamy for calling the political newcomer a “rookie.”

Ramaswamy described himself as “the only person on stage who is not bought and paid for,” incomes a slapdown from Christie, who complained he’d “had enough already tonight of a guy who sounds like Chat GPT.”

The candidates equivocated on local weather change, railed in opposition to road crime and supported curbs on abortion entry — a difficulty that polarizes America, with Pence rebuking former UN ambassador Nikki Haley over her name for “consensus” on the problem.

The Biden marketing campaign purchased costly advert slots on Fox News and its web site earlier than the controversy, whereas the president stated he would watch as a lot of the occasion “as I can.”

Trump’s former legal professional Rudy Giuliani, who’s charged with racketeering within the case alongside Trump and 17 different co-defendants, surrendered in Georgia’s capital hours earlier than the controversy.