For most Americans, the Presidential election doesn’t start until fall of 2024, but for Republican candidates, it started Wednesday, Aug. 23 at their first debate in Milwaukee at the 18,000-person capacity Fiserv Forum.

In order to qualify for the Aug. 23 debate, candidates must have satisfied all requirements set by the Republican National Committee (RNC). They must have at least 1% in three national polls or a mix of national and early-state polls that were deemed acceptable by the RNC. Additionally, all participants pledged to support the party’s eventual nominee. 

Only nine Republican candidates qualified for the debate. Former President Trump opted not to attend, and explained his absence on his social media site, Truth Social. “[The public] knows who I am,” Trump said. 

The moderators opened the debate with a discussion of Oliver Anthony’s country song “Rich Men North of Richmond,” released in early August.

Florida Governor Ron Desantis believed that “Rich Men North of Richmond” is prevalent among Americans due to current President Joe Biden’s legislative actions. “This decline is not inevitable, it’s a choice. We need to send Joe Biden back to his basement and reverse American decline. And it starts with understanding we must reverse Bidenomics so that middle class families have a chance to succeed again,” he said.

Inflation was a major topic at the debate; Senator Scott believed increasing state funding is the best way to mitigate the issue. He said, “When you see 16% inflation, your gas is up 40%, your food is up 20%, your electricity is up 20%. We can stop that by turning the spigot off in Washington, sending the money back to the states and allowing the decisions to be made at their own houses.”

The moderators asked former Governor Haley why she is better positioned to turn around this economy than Vivek Ramaswamy, a successful entrepreneur and is considered the third most popular candidate according to a national poll. Former Governor Haley said in response: “Well, I don’t care about polls. What I care about is [the fact] that no one is telling the American people the truth. The truth is that Biden didn’t do this to us, our Republicans did this to us too. 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.”

When asked why he is the best candidate, Vice President Pence said, “I’ve been in the hallway, I’ve been in the West Wing. A president in the United States has to confront every crisis facing America. I will put our nation back on the path to growth and prosperity and restore fiscal responsibility, just as I did in Congress and as governor and when I was Vice President.” 

Ramaswamy also voiced his frustration towards current federal policies. “The only war that I will declare as US President will be the war on the federal administrative state that is the source of those toxic regulations acting like a wet blanket on the economy.”

Former Governor Christie’s frustration was evident in his response to Ramaswamy’s claim that climate change is a hoax. “I’ve had enough already tonight of [Ramaswamy] who sounds like ChatGPT standing up here,” he said.

Some also said they harbored distrust within their fellow candidates. Former Governor Hutchinson stated that if Trump were to win the Republican Presidential nominee, he would not support him. “[…] Over a year ago I said that Donald Trump was morally disqualified from being president again as a result of what happened on January 6th [2021],” said Hutchinson. 

Crime rates are going up across America. When Governor Burgum was asked on his opinions regarding crime, he emphasized the importance of fostering community. “In a small town, neighbors help neighbors, people understand each other …. I think this country could use is somebody in the White House that understands small town values because that’s our road back to get this country on track again,” said Burgum.

Other topics of discussion included energy, Russo-Ukrainian War, China-U.S. relations, parental rights in education and climate change. A full transcript of the debate can be found here.

The next debate will be held Sept. 27 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential library in Simi Valley, California at 9 p.m. and will be livestreamed on Fox News and Rumble, an official RNC partner.