{"id":2010546,"date":"2023-08-24T09:03:01","date_gmt":"2023-08-24T13:03:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/analysis-trump-free-gop-debate-means-more-ramaswamy-trends-and-highlights-of-the-first-debate\/"},"modified":"2023-08-24T09:07:18","modified_gmt":"2023-08-24T13:07:18","slug":"analysis-trump-free-gop-debate-means-more-ramaswamy-trends-and-highlights-of-the-first-debate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/analysis-trump-free-gop-debate-means-more-ramaswamy-trends-and-highlights-of-the-first-debate\/","title":{"rendered":"Analysis: Trump&#8217;s Absence Amplifies Ramaswamy: Key Takeaways from the First GOP Debate"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fanalysis-trump-free-gop-debate-means-more-ramaswamy-trends-and-highlights-of-the-first-debate%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2010546&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div data-post-content=\"true\" class=\"post_content\" id=\"post_content\">\n<p>After the first \u200cRepublican presidential primary debate in\u200d Milwaukee, surrogates\u200b for the various candidates did what any good supporter should\u2013they sought to\u200c spin performances into \u2062<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/analysis-trump-free-gop-means-more-ramaswamy-trends-and-highlights-of-the-first-debate\/\" title=\"Analysis: Trump's Absence Boosts Ramaswamy in GOP Debate\">clear-cut wins<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;[Gov. Ron DeSantis] has no peer up there \u200bin\u200c terms of\u200b his conservative\u2063 consistency,&#8221; said Ken Cuccinelli, a veteran of the former President Donald Trump administration who is now\u200b with the Never Back \u2063Down Super\u2062 Pac that supports\u2062 Mr. DeSantis&#8217;s\u200d presidential run, in an interview with The Epoch\u2062 Times.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;[Former Gov. Nikki Haley] showed tonight that she can stand toe-to-toe, being the only woman on the presidential stage for 2024,&#8221; Katon Dawson,\u2064 a supporter of Ms. Haley who formerly chaired the\u2063 South Carolina Republican Party, told The Epoch Times.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode\">\n<div class=\"border-comp-divider mb-4 mr-4 w-full max-w-[500px] border px-5 py-4 text-[16px] leading-[20px] text-[#262626] md:float-left\">\n<div class=\"mb-3 font-sans text-[16px] font-semibold uppercase leading-[19px] text-[#2F2F2F]\">Related Stories<\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/5-takeaways-from-the-first-republican-presidential-debate-5479819\">5 Takeaways From the First\u200d Republican Presidential Debate<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">8\/24\/2023<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/5-takeaways-from-the-first-republican-presidential-debate-5479819\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/candidates-clash-over-ukraine-aid-at-gop-debate-5479801\">Candidates Clash Over Ukraine Aid at GOP Debate<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">8\/24\/2023<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/candidates-clash-over-ukraine-aid-at-gop-debate-5479801\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Yet, as the dust settles after the two-hour, Trump-free spectacle on \u200dAug. 23, it&#8217;s crucial to look\u200b beyond the spin.<\/p>\n<h2>By Drawing Attacks, Ramaswamy Scores Victories<\/h2>\n<p>President Trump&#8217;s absence from the Fiserv\u2064 Forum, normally home to the Milwaukee Bucks basketball team, \u200dmeant one man stood in as the next best thing: biotech entrepreneur, anti-woke investor, and occasional rapper Vivek G. Ramaswamy, \u2063whose \u200bTrump-like\u200c stances and\u2064 Trump-friendly rhetoric painted\u2063 a bright target on his \u2062back.<\/p>\n<p>On foreign policy, climate change, and other issues,\u2063 Mr. Ramaswamy \u2063took fire from many\u200c opponents\u2013most notably, Ms. Haley,\u2064 former \u2062Vice President Mike\u2064 Pence, \u2063and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Mr. Christie \u2064compared the energetic millennial to ChatGPT.\u200c Mr.\u200b Pence,\u2062 meanwhile, dismissed \u200bMr. \u2063Ramaswamy as a &#8220;rookie,&#8221; while Ms. Haley accused him of failing to support U.S. allies.<\/p>\n<p>That pattern \u2063contradicted the predictions\u200d of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/what-to-know-about-tonights-first-gop-debate-5478658\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">some insiders<\/a>, \u2064who \u200dtold The Epoch Times that Mr. \u2064DeSantis would probably\u2063 attract the most heat as the favorite for the nomination \u2064after \u200dPresident Trump. Yet, Mr. Ramaswamy&#8217;s rapid ascent \u200din the\u200c past few months makes what happened more understandable: acceleration is easier to spot and attack than a relatively steady velocity.<\/p>\n<p>If Mr. Ramaswamy aimed to win by playing the underdog, he appears to have succeeded. Time and time again,\u2062 he \u2063stole the show, even\u200c by drawing a swipe\u200b from one \u200crival through effusive praise of the \u200dlast Republican to reach the \u2062White House.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;President Trump was, I believe, the best president of the 21st \u2063century,&#8221; Mr. Ramaswamy told Mr.\u2064 Christie to cheers from the audience, \u2062adding\u200c that he believes the former New Jersey governor&#8217;s \u200dcrusade against his onetime boss is motivated by &#8220;vengeance \u200band grievance.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;You make\u2064 me laugh,&#8221; Mr.\u200b Christie responded before\u2064 the audience&#8217;s boos drowned \u200dhim out.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Vivek Ramaswamy, 1. Establishment politicians, 0,&#8221; said Chris Grant, senior \u200cadvisor to the Ramaswamy campaign, in \u2063a spin \u200broom\u200d interview with The Epoch Times.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I\u200b think the \u200creason career politicians like Nikki Haley and \u200cMike Pence get \u200dso upset is\u2064 because of jealousy,&#8221; Mr. Grant \u2063added.<\/p>\n<p>Others offered a more guarded response \u200cto the entrepreneur.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ll see, how does his\u200b aggressiveness go over with a lot of grassroots voters,&#8221; said \u200bSean Spicer, a press secretary during Trump&#8217;s presidency.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Spicer told The\u200c Epoch Times that Mr. Ramaswamy &#8220;landed some really good punches.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2>Ukraine, Taiwan, and Israel<\/h2>\n<p>Some of the \u200c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/analysis-trump-free-gop-debate-means-more-ramaswamy-trends-and-highlights-of-the-first-debate\/\" title=\"Analysis: Trump's Absence Amplifies Ramaswamy: Key Takeaways from the First GOP Debate\">biggest disputes \u200dconcerned foreign \u2062policy<\/a>. Most \u2064candidates\u200b staked out positions at odds with \u2063that of the race&#8217;s current frontrunner.<\/p>\n<p>When the candidates \u2064were \u2062asked if they oppose the Biden administration&#8217;s latest request for billions in \u2064Ukraine \u2063funding, Mr. Ramaswamy held his hand high, while Mr.\u2064 DeSantis&#8217;s \u2063wavered\u200d midway in the air. The other \u200dsix contenders did nothing.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I would not support it,&#8221; Mr. \u200cRamaswamy said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I would have Europe step up,&#8221; said Mr.\u200c DeSantis, adding that American backing &#8220;should\u2064 be contingent&#8221; on additional contributions from American allies closer to Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Pence\u2064 characterized \u2062Mr. Ramaswamy&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/senate-ndaa-here-are-the-four-republican-senators-who-opposed-defense-bill\/\" title=\"Four GOP Senators Opposed Senate NDAA\">foreign policy proposal<\/a>, which would see the United\u2064 States cede\u200d parts of \u2062Ukraine to Russia in\u2064 exchange \u200cfor ending\u200d their \u200balliance with China, as a &#8220;giveaway \u2026 to \u2064Putin.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Vice President Pence, I have \u200ba\u200d newsflash. \u2062The\u200b USSR\u2064 does not exist \u2063anymore,&#8221;\u200c Mr. Ramaswamy responded.<\/p>\n<p>Ms. Haley\u2063 jumped in too.<\/p>\n<p>She said \u200dMr. Ramaswamy &#8220;wants \u2063to hand\u200b Ukraine to Russia,&#8221; &#8220;wants let China eat Taiwan,&#8221; \u200band \u200b&#8221;wants to go\u200b and stop funding Israel.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;You have no foreign\u200c policy experience,&#8221; said Ms. Haley, who served \u2062as United Nations ambassador \u200dunder \u200bPresident Trump.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s not that Israel needs America. America\u2063 needs Israel,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Ramaswamy described the relationship between Israel and the \u2064United States as &#8220;a friendship.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;You know what friends \u2062do?\u2064 Friends help each other stand \u2064on their\u200b own two feet,&#8221; he said, adding that he would work with\u2063 the \u200bMiddle Eastern state to &#8220;make sure Iran \u200bnever is nuclear armed.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;You know what I love about Israel?&#8221; Mr. Ramaswamy said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I\u2062 love their\u200c border policies.\u200d I love tough-on-crime policies. I \u200dlove that they \u2062have a national \u200cidentity and an Iron Dome to protect their homeland,&#8221; he continued.<\/p>\n<h2>Hopefuls Spar on Abortion<\/h2>\n<p>The feasibility of\u2063 national restrictions on abortion also\u200b divided the candidates.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Pence indicated he would support such a limit on abortions past 15\u200b weeks, describing it as &#8220;an idea \u2064whose time has come.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s not a states-only issue. It&#8217;s a moral issue,&#8221; said the\u2062 former vice president, long known\u2062 as a pro-life stalwart.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;When you&#8217;re talking about a federal ban, \u200bbe honest with the American people,&#8221; Ms. Haley responded, saying\u200b that there weren&#8217;t enough pro-life\u200c senators to \u2063make it a\u2064 reality.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t make women feel like they\u200d have to decide on this \u2063issue,&#8221; she told Mr. Pence, echoing a frequent complaint about the \u2063putative causes \u2062of the\u200d GOP&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/james-woods-nails-what-the-midterm-results-really-mean\/\" title=\"James Woods Nails What the Midterm Results Really Mean\">lackluster midterm performance<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>North Dakota \u2064Gov. Doug Burgum said he had pro-life views but opposed a federal ban, citing the 10th Amendment&#8217;s granting of unenumerated rights to the states by\u2063 default.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We can&#8217;t have Republicans, who fight for fifty years \u200bfor this great \u200bcause to \u2064return it back to the states, [the] next day they turn around and\u200b go, &#8216;No, \u200cthe feds should do that,'&#8221; he continued.<\/p>\n<p>Sen. \u200bTim Scot<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>a surrogate for Gov. Ron DeSantis. Cuccinelli praised DeSantis&#8217; unwavering conservative stance, claiming he outshined other candidates in the Republican primary debate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":152,"featured_media":2010547,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2010546","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2010546","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/152"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2010546"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2010546\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2010547"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2010546"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2010546"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2010546"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}