I must admit that I was disappointed with the Republican debate on Wednesday night. It didn’t focus much attention on the economy or how awful Joe Biden was, nor did it discuss the weaponization by the government to attack political opponents and Americans. The candidates seemed to spend more time verbally attacking Vivek Ramaswamy rather than Joe Biden. They were clearly concerned with Ramaswamy’s numbers when most of the others were in the single digits. They were hoping for that moment of inspiration to come from him. I don’t think it did anything but focus more attention on Vivek, and not on the other guys. Vivek was the top trending topic on C this morning. Polls like the Drudge survey also had him as the winner.
Ramaswamy’s response to Chris Christie was one of the most hilarious moments during the debate.
Chris Christie just called @VivekGRamaswamy “Obama:”🤔
“I’m afraid we’re dealing with the same kind of amateur.”
VIVEK: “Give me a hug just like you did to Obama and you’ll help elect me just like you did to Obama. Give me that damn hug, brother.” pic.twitter.com/7TPromaODg
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) August 24, 2023
The problem, in my opinion, was that Fox called former President Donald Trump the “elephant missing from the room”. You don’t have the opportunity to elaborate on your ideas in the Fox format. You are given very little time to make a good impression. You’re often shouted at or attacked by a rival candidate. As we reported, Trump had the freedom to speak for a long time and benefited from the format of a long interview.
He vilified Kamala and Joe Biden’s abilities and suggested that others might run in the primaries because they were so bad.
Donald Trump to Tucker on Kamala Harris: “She speaks in rhyme. It’s weird… Well, the way she talks: ‘The bus will go here and then the bus will go there! Because that’s what busses do!’”
So good 🤣🤣🤣
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) August 24, 2023
What was Trump saying despite four indictments? Concerns about China’s activities in our hemisphere and its influence on the Panama Canal. The GOP debate had very little to do with foreign policy, except for the question of continued funding to Ukraine. Most seemed to be in favor and Ramaswamy was against it.
Trump has shown a strategic awareness in the past, for instance when he warned Germany and NATO against being reliant on Russia’s oil. Biden fails to do this because he does not seem concerned with America’s safety.
Was there a moment when any of the candidates in the GOP debate had the chance to move the polls past Trump and shake things up? I don’t believe so. They may have had to play some games, but their task was almost impossible, given that Trump was so far ahead. How can you beat him when he’s not even present?
After the debate, Trump’s team issued a statement.
Susie Wiles, senior adviser to the Trump campaign, said “President Trump won tonight’s Republican debate with a dominant performance.” “More people watched the interview between President Trump and Tucker Carlson combined than all the other debaters.” Voters saw tonight a clear contrast in the way President Trump engaged in a thoughtful discussion about his second term versus canned soundbites and platitudes on the debate stage.
Wiles continued, “After the dust settled: it is clear that none of the candidates appeared ready to face Crooked Joe Biden. There is only one leader who can make America Great Again: President Donald J. Trump.”
Trump can back up his claim that winning is determined by the attention you receive. According to the count of views, it’s close to 200 million — 195+ million at this point, not even after a day.
Ep. 19 Debate Night with Donald J Trump pic.twitter.com/ayPfII48CO
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) August 24, 2023
