In-fighting erupts among Republicans at first GOP Debate in Milwaukee

Listen to this article

In-fighting and chaos among Republicans erupted at the first GOP Primary Debate in Milwaukee on Wednesday night at the Fiserv Forum.

Despite some empty seats in the arena, there was certainly no lack of heat among candidates — to the point the moderators could not gain control of the stage filled with eight of the nine GOP candidates running for president in 2024. As many of the candidates talked over each other and deflected questions, moderators remained mostly silent.

The GOP candidates engaged in a heated exchange, frequently pointing fingers back at each other. At one point a candidate said stop blaming Democrats, regarding inflation and current economic challenges.

“No one is telling the American people the truth. The truth is that Biden didn’t do this to us,” said GOP Presidential Candidate Nikki Haley.

“Our Republicans did this to us. … When they passed that $2.2 trillion COVID stimulus bill, they left us with 90 million people on Medicaid, 42 million people on food stamps. … They need to eliminate the earmarks that Republicans brought back in, and they need to make sure they understand these are taxpayer dollars. It’s not their dollars,” Haley noted.

Role Reversal?

“And while (Republicans) are all saying this (blaming Democrats), you have Ron DeSantis. You’ve got Tim Scott. You’ve got Mike Pence. They all voted to raise the debt. And Donald Trump added $8 trillion to our debt. And our kids are never going to forgive us for this. And so, at the end of the day, you look at the 2024 budget. Republicans asked for $7.4 billion in earmarks. Democrats asked for $2.8 billion. So, you tell me who are the big spenders? I think it’s time for an accountant in the White House,” said Haley.

GOP presidential candidates have been critical of Biden’s Department of Justice holding Trump accountable for his alleged criminal actions.

Among those candidates, Vivek Ramaswamy said, “We’re skating on thin ice and we cannot set a precedent where the party in power uses police force to indict its political opponents. It is wrong. We have to end the weaponization of justice in this country.”

However, then GOP candidates said if they are elected to the Oval Office, they would prosecute the Biden family.

After saying, “we have plenty of room in the federal prisons to lock up these violent criminals,” former New Jersey Governor and Presidential Candidate Chris Christie said, “In a Christie administration, (Hunter Biden) would go to jail for 10 years.”

After describing Vladimir Putin’s alleged war crimes with Ukraine, Christie said, “this is the Vladimir Putin, who Donald Trump called brilliant and a genius. If we don’t stand up against this type of autocratic killing in the world, we will be next,” he said.

Despite former President Donald Trump showing a resounding lead in the polls among fellow GOP candidates, FOX News Reporter Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, who hosted Wednesday’s event, did not mention that and instead referred to the former president as an “elephant not in the room.”

“But we are going to take a brief moment and talk about the elephant not in the room,” Baier said, referring to Trump.

“Former president Trump has been indicted in four different states on 91 counts. He will be processed tomorrow in Georgia at the Fulton County Jail for charges relating to the 2020 election loss,” said MacCallum.

When the candidates were asked if they would still support Trump if convicted, the reaction was mixed.

After Ramawamy said, “President Trump, I believe was the best president of the 21st century,” Trump declared Ramawamy the winner of Wednesday’s debate. 

Not everyone agreed.

“I’m not going to support somebody who’s been convicted of a serious felony, or who has this is disqualified under our Constitution. And that’s consistent with RNC rules. And I hope everybody would agree with that,” said Former U.S. Attorney, DEA administrator, Arkansas governor, and current GOP Presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson.

Christie and Haley both said they believe then-Vice President Mike Pence did the right thing in defending and upholding the constitution and rule of law when Trump attempted to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

“Someone’s got to stop normalizing this conduct. OK? Now — and now, whether or not — 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,” Christie said.

Haley went one step further in criticizing the former president.

“We have to look at the fact that three-quarters of Americans don’t want a rematch between Trump and Biden. And we have to face the fact that Trump is the most disliked politician in America. We can’t win a general election that way,” Haley said.

When candidates spoke negatively of Trump, the audience frequently booed. Throughout the debate, the audience booed a candidate and just minutes later applauded the same candidate.

“Donald Trump will be convicted of these crimes,” Pence said.

“I put my left hand on Ronald Reagan’s Bible, I raised my right hand. And I took an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. And it ended with a prayer, so help me God. It was a promise that I made to the American people. But I also made it, it made it to my heavenly Father ….. no one’s above the law. … The American people deserve to know that the president asked me in his request that I reject or return votes unilaterally, power that no vice president in American history had ever exercised or taken. [Trump] asked me to put him over the Constitution, and I chose the Constitution. And I always will,” Pence said.

Presidential Candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis deflected the question if he would still support Trump (and if Pence did the right thing). During the debate, DeSantis attacked the “corporate news media,” deflected questions and vowed to never to let “the Deep State” lock America down during a pandemic ever again.

The “Deep State” refers to an unproven conspiracy theory based without any evidence or facts that federal law enforcement (FBI), the intelligence community (CIA), news media, and financial and industrial sectors collaborate on certain shared agendas. Former presidential adviser David Gergen has previously said that the term had been falsely used by Steve Bannon, Breitbart News, and various other Trump supporters in an attempt to delegitimize critics of Trump’s presidency.

Topics at the debate ranged from abortion and education to immigration and using U.S. military forces to attack drug cartels.

Haley said, “I am unapologetically pro-life.”

Pence said how his faith has impacted his politics, in what critics have said is a gross deviation from the separation of church and state.

“After I gave my life to Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, I open up the book and I read, before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. And see I set before you life and death, blessings and curses now choose life. And I knew from that moment on the cause of life had to be my cause. And I’ve been a champion for life in the Congress, a champion for life as governor and as vice president,” Pence said.

“Consensus is the opposite of leadership. When the Supreme Court returned this question to the American people, they didn’t just send it to the states only. It’s not a state’s only issue. It’s a moral issue,” Pence added.

Pence then stated “A 15-week ban is an idea whose time has come. It’s supported by 70 percent of the American people.”

A Wall Street Journal poll last year said only 31% of Americans support a 15-week ban.

Multiple candidates took digs at “liberal prosecutors.”

“And liberal prosecutors in major metropolitan areas continue to work out their fanciful agendas, to do bail reform and go easy (on criminals),” Pence said.

DeSantis agreed and went one step further, “playing the (George) Soros card.”

“These hollowed out cities, this is a symptom of America’s decline. And one of the biggest reasons is because you have George Soros funding these radical left-wing district attorneys. They get into office and they say they’re not going to prosecute crimes,” DeSantis said.

Previously, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) said “playing the Soros card” is a dangerous dog whistle for antisemitism, “sure to be heard loud and clear by a large audience.”

At one point the in-fighting among GOP candidates escalated when Haley accused Ramaswamy of wanting to defund Israel.

“You want to go and defund Israel. You want to give Taiwan to China,” Haley said.

Then Haley accused Ramaswamy of allegedly supporting Russia’s President, Putin.

“When I was at the U.N., the Russian ambassador suddenly died. This guy is a murderer. And you are choosing a murderer over a pro-American country,” Haley said.

Meanwhile, Trump did not attend Wednesday’s debate and instead aired an exclusive interview with fired FOX News Host Tucker Carlson. The interview aired on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Carlson opened the interview saying, “It’s debate night and we are not in Milwaukee.”

During Trump’s Wednesday interview he defended the Jan. 6 insurrection and said Pence should have sent the votes back to the Legislature. Trump also falsely stated, again, that he won the 2020 Wisconsin Presidential election.

Referring to the Jan. 6 supporters he addressed before marching to the Capitol, Trump said, “People in that crowd said it was the most beautiful day they’ve ever experienced. There was love in that crowd. There was love and unity.”

“I have never seen such spirit and such passion and such love. And I’ve also never seen, simultaneously, and from the same people, such hatred of what they’ve done to our country,” Trump added.

Trump previously said it is beneath him to appear in Milwaukee with the other GOP candidates, The Associated Press reported. 

As previously reported by the Wisconsin Law Journal, the following candidates were present at Wednesday’s debate.

Sen. Tim Scott, S.C.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley

Vivek Ramaswamy

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie

Former Vice President Mike Pence

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum

Gov. Asa Hutchinson

Despite the chaos in the debate, Milwaukee Police officials tell the Wisconsin Law Journal,”the event occurred without incident.”

MPD made a total of one arrest for disorderly conduct.

“MPD publicly expresses our gratitude for the men and women of our Department, both civilian and sworn, who plalnned and worked to ensure community safety in our City. MPD extends our gratitude to our public safety partners including the Milwaukee Fire Department, the Office of Emergency Management, the Office of Violence Prevention, federal law enforcement, and other agencies who worked with us to keep Milwaukee safe. In addition, MPD publicly expresses our gratitude for the community that we serve.  A number of protests occurred during the event and we are grateful for all those who organized and participated in these protests and ensured they occurred peacefully, without causing harm to our City or others.  MPD respects the rights of anyone who wishes to express their opinion.  We serve all residents and visitors of Milwaukee,” officials said in a statement.