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Former Vice President and current Republican presidential candidate Mike Pence on Tuesday said that if elected, he would immediately end Biden-era telework policies,institute a spending freeze for non-defense federal agenciesand ban all federal funding of gender affirming care for minors. The proposals werepart of a laundry list of executive actions Pence said hewould undertake on his first day in the White House.

The former vice president remains a distant fifth place for the Republican presidential nomination at 4.5%,according to FiveThirtyEights national polling average. Former President Trump retains a commanding lead in the raceat 49.9%, based onFiveThirtyEight's polls.

President Biden weakened us at home and he weakened our place in the world, Pence said. With all humility, I believe Im the most qualified, best prepared candidate in this field, and we will be ready on Day One to move policies that will turn this country around, and our Day One executive action plan is an attempt to lay out a vision for those initial actions we believe will begin to set our nation right.

First, Pence vowed to reverse an automatic 1% decrease in defense spending that would take hold if lawmakers cannot reach a full-year appropriations deal by May 2024 and, conversely, freeze non-defense spending, which he argued has contributed to inflation. However, inflation has been on the decline since last fall.

Well get runaway spending under control by freezing non-defense federal spending on Day One of my administration, he said. Well also reverse all of the Biden administrations energy executive orders and unleash American energy and open up access to all of Americas reserves and through leasing programs for oil and natural gas.

Pence also suggested that he would roll back the telework policies developed during the COVID-19 pandemic and continued during the Biden administration, saying he would end work from home for federal workers. Pences plan was light on details, however.

Americans around the country have gotten back to work since the pandemic ended and are working to get this economy moving again, his campaign wrote in a blog post Tuesday. Meanwhile, federal employees are still working from home at record rates . . . Federal bureaucrats should be working just as hard as the American workers they are supposedly serving. Thats why President Pence will issue an executive order to get federal employees back to work immediately.

A number of proposals Pence revealed Tuesday on health care issues could also have ramifications for federal workers. The former vice president said he would end policies within the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments aimed at preserving federal workers and veterans access to abortions, as well as endthe Justice Departments work in support of litigation challenging state abortion bans. And he said the federal government would cease funding of programs that help transgender minors receive gender-affirming care.

I would end any fundingdirect or indirectfor child transgender procedures anywhere in the United States, and we would block funding to schools that promote child transgender chemical or physical procedures. We simply have got to protect our kids from the radical gender agenda of the American left, as well as reinstate protections for religious groups of any persuasion in federal contracting.

Once again, the details of Pences plan remained vague, but such a measure could endanger federal workers and their families access to gender affirming care through their employer-sponsored insurance, the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program.

Today, the Department of Health and Human Services official guidance to medical providers states that early gender affirming care is crucial to overall health, the Pence campaign wrote. President Pence will reverse these misguided policies on Day One and make it clear that government health agencies will never advocate for radical transgender ideology. President Pence will also issue executive orders directing all agencies to defund any programs that accept federal money and provide surgical or chemical gender reassignment on children in the U.S. or around the world.

Transgender advocates argue that conservatives vastly overestimate the number of people receiving gender affirming care, and in fact, the process to gain access to treatments is often long and arduous.

Notably absent from Pences Day One agenda is any mention of a systematic effort to make it easier to fire federal workers or target the so-called deep state, such as Schedule F, an abortive effort at the end of the Trump administration to make federal workers in policy-related positions effectively at-will employees. Both Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have said they would reinstitute the proposal immediately upon taking office, and the Heritage Foundation has endorsed the idea as part of its 1,000-page presidential transition handbook.

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Pence 'Day 1' plan includes a telework rollback, spending freeze ... - GovExec.com

Former Vice President Mike Pence sought once more on Wednesday to define himself as the staunchest opponent of abortion in the Republican field, citing his faith and taking a swipe at the former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley, who has tried to pull off a difficult balancing act on the issue.

To be honest with you, Nikki youre my friend, but consensus is the opposite of leadership, Mr. Pence said, criticizing Ms. Haley for saying there needed to be congressional consensus between Republicans and Democrats before the federal government could play a role in restricting abortion. Its not a states-only issue. Its a moral issue.

Ms. Haley, who often calls herself unapologetically pro-life, fired back that Mr. Pence was being dishonest about what was politically possible. When youre talking about a federal ban, be honest with the American people, she said, arguing that the 60-vote filibuster threshold in the Senate meant that no Democratic or Republican president would be able to set abortion policy. Do not make women feel like they have to decide on this issue.

The exchange underscored the deep and emotional divide that has emerged among Republicans since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

Since that ruling last year, Republican-led states have rushed to outlaw or impose stringent restrictions on abortion, to a fierce electoral backlash. Surveys show record numbers of Americans support at least some level of access to abortion, and some of the top Republican presidential candidates have waffled or struggled with their positions in light of that fact.

On the debate stage, candidates insisted they were pro-life but did not agree on whether to support a federal ban at 15 weeks gestation. Still, some tried to use the moment to break out.

We cannot let states like California, New York, Illinois have abortions on demand, said Senator Tim Scott from South Carolina, who also claimed falsely that those states allow abortion without limits until birth.

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Mike Pence and Nikki Haley Clash Over Abortion at GOP Debate - The New York Times

An hour into Wednesday nights Republican Presidential debate, which took place without the front-runner, Donald Trump, a simple, altogether predictable question unsettled the proceedings. If former President Trump is convicted in a court of law, Fox News Bret Baier asked the candidates, Would you still support him as your partys choice? Please raise your hand if you would.

Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, looked left, then right, seeming unsure; Mike Pence, on whom the complications of Trumps alleged crimes hang heaviest, hesitated, too. After a moment, both raised their hands, a grudging show of support for their President and rival. In the end, of the eight candidates who qualified for the debate stage, only Asa Hutchinson, the former governor of Arkansas, kept his hand down. Chris Christie, the former governor of New Jersey, half raised an index finger, which he flicked in the air while shaking his head, a gesture, he later said, meant to ask the moderators for a chance to explain why he would not support Trump. For a generation, Republican politicians have appeared on Fox News and known what to say to their base. But, in last nights debate, there was uncertainty on Ukraine, climate change, even abortion. The Presidential candidates no longer seemed so sure that they knew what their voters wanted them to say.

The line going into the evening had been that the assembled Presidential candidates looked a little small and lacking in star wattage without Trump. Could you really imagine any of them winning this thing? Maybe the real action was on Tucker Carlsons X account, where a pre-recorded video of Trump being very gently interviewed was aired as counterprogramming. But a more interesting possibility emergedthat Trump had opened up fissures in conservatism that neither he nor any of his rivals really knew how to close. An early question about climate change (which the hosts introduced by giving a brief but admirable rundown of this summers extreme weather events) gave an indication of how the night would go. Vivek Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur turned anti-woke crusader, declared that the climate-change agenda is a hoax. Nikki Haley, who was formerly Trumps U.N. Ambassador and the governor of South Carolina, counterpunched: Is climate change real? Yes, it is.

Those two candidates formed the debates poles. Ramaswamywho seemed to personally annoy just about everyone else on the stage (Christie, at one point, dismissed him as a guy who sounds like ChatGPT)gleefully took up the MAGA banner. Haley, who seemed to sense a vacuum, went after Trump for hypocrisy on spending and for being the most disliked politician in America. On abortion, DeSantiss defense of Floridas six-week abortion ban, and Mike Pences unsupported insistence that seventy per cent of the country backed a national pro-life agenda were met by Haleys get-a-grip realism. But seventy per cent of the Senate does not, she said.

It wasnt as if all of the Republican talking points had disappeared (there was general enthusiasm for a literal war on drug cartels), but, on certain high-profile issues, a genuine debate unfolded. After Ramaswamy made the case for ending U.S. support for Ukraine, Christie gave a characteristically gruesome evocation of the horrors of Russian war crimes. Thousands of Ukrainian children, Christie said, have been abducted, stolen, ripped from their mothers and fathers, and brought back to Russia to be programmed to fight their own families. They have gouged out peoples eyes, cut off their ears, and shot people in the back of the headmenand then gone into those homes and raped the daughters and the wives who were left as widows and orphans. The most unexpected thought entered my head. Was this, against all odds, a good debate? And the truth is, without any of the candidates especially impressing, it sort of was.

All seven men onstage wore dark-blue suits with white shirts and red tiesin costume, at least, Trump was everywhere. In the center of the stage were DeSantis and Ramaswamy, running second and third in the polls, though each far behind Trump. Both are fast talkers, tending toward one and a quarter speed, and terrible smilers: Ramaswamy oversmiles, all teeth and gums, and DeSantis sort of winces. The stakes were perhaps the highest for DeSantis, once considered Trumps co-front-runner, whose position has been eroding since he announced in May. His speeches, which seemed the most rehearsed of anyones onstage, groped for an audience that he could never quite find. The old crowd-pleasers failed him. At one point, DeSantis practically shouted George Soros, drawing only a smattering of applause. When he tried to pivot away from a politically tricky question about January 6th by thundering, We need to end the weaponization of these federal agents, Baier and his co-moderator, Martha MacCallum, bellowed back, Thats not the question! The Florida governor said, a little meekly, I know.

Both DeSantis and Ramaswamy are young politicians (forty-four and thirty-eight years old, respectively) who have surged to the front of the field by rhyming their politics with Trumps. Last night, they were flanked by older, more obviously scarred Republicans, many of whom had twined their fates with Trump earlier in his history and come to regret it. Pence, most scarred of all, got a nice moment when the moderators asked whether he had done the right thing by standing up to Trump on January 6th. Absolutely, he did the right thing, Senator Tim Scott, of South Carolina, said. Christie added, Mike Pence stood for the Constitution, and he deserves not grudging credithe deserves our thanks as Americans. But Pences worn applause lines landed as flatly as some of DeSantiss. When he criticized Democrats for defunding the police, there were crickets. Haleys opening remarks, which attacked the Trump Administration for having swelled the deficit, seemed to capture the pathos of Pences position. He, despite having broken with his former boss, was the one forced to defend the Trump Administrations bad policies, while Trump himself, routing the field, had simply decided not to attend.

Ever since Trumps ascent, nearly a decade ago, both his supporters and opponents have entertained a fantasy vision of the Republican Party, in which the conflict between the MAGA-verse and Trumps opponents would be firmly settled, with one side taking over the Party for good. But Trumps success has been partialenough to raise doubts about the old consensus, on everything from foreign policy to deficits, without really establishing a new one. And so, beneath the iron grip that Trump has on the polls is the interesting mess of a party on display in last nights debate, in which everyone vowed himself a staunch conservative but no one seemed to really agree on what conservatism means.

In the run-up to the debate, there had been reminders of the worse fates that Pence, Haley and Christie had ducked: more than a dozen of Trumps co-conspirators were indicted in Georgia, alongside the former President, for allegedly participating in his scheme to reverse the outcome of the 2020 Presidential election; earlier in the day, Rudy Giuliani was photographed apparently headed into a bail bondsmans office. Perhaps fortified by those images, the Republican candidates were, as a group, more openly critical of Trump than leaders in their party have been in a very long time. But they also showed that they havent yet managed the critical next step: articulating a plausible different direction.

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A Chaotic Display of Conservatism at the First Republican Debate - The New Yorker

From left, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Vice President Mike Pence, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum before a Republican presidential primary debate hosted by Fox News Channel Wednesday in Milwaukee. Morry Gash/AP hide caption

From left, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Vice President Mike Pence, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum before a Republican presidential primary debate hosted by Fox News Channel Wednesday in Milwaukee.

Imagine a world in which Donald Trump decided not to run again for reelection.

That's what the audience experienced for about the first 50 minutes of the first Republican presidential primary debate. There had been only fleeting, subtle swipes at Trump in that time. A debate instead broke out on the economy, abortion, crime and, in theory but not really, on climate change.

And you would have thought some guy named Vivek Ramaswamy was the front-runner for the nomination. But then the viewing audience was reminded of reality when moderator Bret Baier of Fox News Channel noted the next segment was going to be about "the elephant not in the room" to the dismay of the Trump-adoring, and loudly booing, audience.

"Let's get through this," Baier implored the audience, turning around to plead with them to quiet down.

How did it all turn out and who stood out and didn't? Here are five takeaways:

Surprisingly, perhaps, almost all of the candidates stood up for former Vice President Mike Pence and said he did the right thing on Jan. 6 in his ceremonial role in counting and recording the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Pence noted that Trump asked him to reject the votes and "asked me to put him over the Constitution, and I chose the Constitution."

You can imagine that portion of the debate would have gone very differently if Trump was on that stage. The fact that everyone said Pence did the right thing, except Ramaswamy, really has to make Trump seethe, but the fact that the candidates felt like they could also says something.

Trump has a deep well of support among the GOP base and has huge leads in the polls. He likely won't suffer from not being at this debate, but his pride may have just a little in that moment. It's why there's probably a higher likelihood after this debate than before it that Trump shows up to the next one. But anything's possible with Trump.

Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy reacts after a Republican presidential primary debate hosted by Fox News Channel Wednesday in Milwaukee. Morry Gash/AP hide caption

Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy reacts after a Republican presidential primary debate hosted by Fox News Channel Wednesday in Milwaukee.

Who would have thought that at the beginning of this primary campaign that after the first GOP primary debate we'd be talking about a previously little-known former tech CEO, who wrote books about "woke" corporate culture.

He's been seen as somewhat of a gadfly, but Ramaswamy has gotten tons of attention and landed himself smack dab in the middle of the debate stage Wednesday night. He commanded attention during the debate as well. He was supremely confident and in the middle of the most heated exchanges.

Watching him, though, it was like watching the rise and metaphoric fall of a campaign in one night. At first, his fast-talking style dominated, but he was grating on the other candidates, and he was on his heels, especially on foreign policy.

"You are choosing a murderer over a pro-American country," former Trump U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley fired at Ramaswamy for his position on the war in Ukraine. She added for punctuation, "You have no foreign policy experience and it shows. It shows."

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, at one point, blasted him this way: "I've had enough of a guy who sounds like chatGPT."

There is something to that. He did come across like a personification and channeling of the young, right-wing social media posters and podcasters lots of opinions, but little experience in actually handling the things they're professing expertise about.

Yes, Haley and Pence got in their shots on Ramaswamy when it came to the Ukraine-Russia war. It was one of the strongest exchanges of the night for Pence before Haley stole his thunder.

But saying that most of the candidates on this particular stage agreed on a traditional GOP foreign policy, where the U.S. is the moral leader in the world, ignores that the top-three polling candidates in this primary Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Ramaswamy feel differently.

And that matters. They are channeling many in the base. There's a clear generational divide in this GOP, especially on foreign policy. Trump has pushed this more isolationist, non-interventionist foreign policy, and it's changed the Republican Party in many ways.

Ramaswamy is an eager disciple, and it's a stance that many younger Republicans, who came of age after 9/11 or with little memory of it, echo. They simply don't see the United States as needing to be the moral leader overseas the way the country did for decades after World War Two.

Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley speaks during a Republican presidential primary debate hosted by Fox News Channel on Wednesday in Milwaukee. Morry Gash/AP hide caption

Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley speaks during a Republican presidential primary debate hosted by Fox News Channel on Wednesday in Milwaukee.

Judging solely on speaking time, how he answered questions and the lack of attacks on him, you would never know that DeSantis was the top polling candidate on this stage.

His campaign has been sputtering to this point. Wednesday night was an opportunity to shine out of the shadow of Trump, but instead DeSantis came off as wooden, practiced and awkward. He didn't command the stage the way many Republicans and powerful donors might have hoped or expected.

On the other hand, Haley showed some humanity on the issue of abortion and forcefulness on foreign policy. But her campaign has not taken off to this point. She has lagged behind in fundraising and hasn't gained tons of attention since the first few weeks of her campaign.

Despite a strong performance, she will likely still have a difficult time getting the nomination because she seems out of step with the pro-Trump wing of the party. She has to hope that the big donors who thought DeSantis would be the principal alternative to Trump abandon him and go to her.

For once in eight years of GOP politics, Trump didn't command the spotlight.

He thought he was delivering a two-for-one jab with his interview with Tucker Carlson one in the direction of Fox News since Carlson is no longer with the network, and one at the party establishment.

But Trump's pre-recorded interview with Carlson on the platform X, formerly known as Twitter, didn't quite get him the attention that his veterans "fundraiser" did in 2016 when he skipped another Fox News debate.

It was hardly the split-screen moment he was hoping for.

There was other counterprogramming, or more accurately trolling, going on around the debate and that was from the Democrats. Pro-Biden ads ran on Fox News before the debate, and, on the ground in Milwaukee, the Democratic National Committee was driving around billboards, leaning into "Dark Brandon," a caricature of Biden with lasers coming out of his eyes that started as a conservative, anti-Biden meme.

The billboards were leaning into not cutting Social Security, opposing tax cuts for the rich, lowering prescription drug costs and restoring Roe all solid general-election positions, while GOP candidates, for the most part, are positioning themselves to the right to win a primary.

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GOP candidates debate in Milwaukee. Here are the moments that ... - NPR

Republican presidential candidates, from left, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Vice President Mike Pence, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum stand on stage before a Republican presidential primary debate Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo / Morry Gash)

Former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have dominated the Republican presidential nomination fight for much of the year. Neither dominated the debate stage Wednesday night.

Trump, of course,decided to skipthe GOPs opening presidential primary debate given his overwhelming lead in the polls. DeSantis showed up, but he was overshadowed for much of the night by political newcomer Vivek Ramaswamy.

And there was no shortage of aggressive performances from the others on stage either. Former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley, former Vice President Mike Pence and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie were aggressive when given the opportunity.

It took more than an hour for moderators to ask about Trumps legal battles, a discussion previewed with a video of theAtlanta jail where he will surrender on chargesThursday.

The former president scheduled counterprogramming with an interview aired on X, formerly known as Twitter, while his team suggested that the debate was essentially an audience to see whos best positioned to serve as his running mate.

Here are our takeaways from an action-filled night:

VIVEK GRABS THE SPOTLIGHT

At the center of the stage, and the center of the debates hottest exchanges, was a 38-year-old man who no one expected to be there even a few months ago anovice candidate and technology entrepreneurnamed Vivek Ramaswamy.

Though hes well behind Trump, Ramaswamy has crept up in recent polls, leading to his position next to DeSantis at center stage. And he quickly showed why when he showcased his ready-for-video, on-message approach talking about how his poor parents moved to the U.S. and gave him the chance to found billion-dollar companies.

Then Ramaswamy started to throw elbows. At one point he declared, Im the only person on the stage who isnt bought and paid for. He slammed his rivals as super PAC puppets who were using ready-made, pre-prepared slogans to attack him.

He seemed to be betting that primary voters preferred something memorable said to something done. His rivals were having none of it.

Now is not the time for on-the-job training, Pence said. We dont need to bring in a rookie.

Christie cut in during one of Ramaswamys most biting attacks. Ive had enough of a guy who stands up here who sounds like ChatGPT, Christie said, adding that Ramaswamys opening line about being a skinny guy with a hard-to-pronounce name reminded him of former President Barack Obama not a compliment on a Republican stage. Ramaswamy responded by asking Christie for a hug, referencing whenObama visited Christies statefollowing Hurricane Sandy.

Haley attacked Ramaswamys argument that the U.S. shouldnt support Ukraine in its defense against Russias invasion. Under your watch, you would make America less safe. You have no foreign policy experience and it shows, Haley told him, standing directly to his left.

NAVIGATING TRUMP

It took more than an hour for the candidates to confront the elephant not in the room.

And when they did, most of the participants raised their hands to say theyd support Trump even if he was convicted. Thats after the moderators noted that Trump is facing more than 90 criminal counts in separate cases across four jurisdictions.

Ramaswamy vowed to pardon Trump if given the chance.

Lets just speak the truth. President Trump, I believe, was the best president of the 21st century. Its a fact, Ramaswamy said.

Christie, a former U.S. attorney and frequent Trump antagonist, pushed back aggressively despite being drowned out at times by the audiences boos.

Even if people disagree with the criminal charges, Christie said, The conduct is beneath the office of the president of the United States.

DIVIDE ON ABORTION POST-DOBBS

The Republicans on stage did not downplay their strong opposition to abortion rights when given the opportunity. But there was a clear divide among the candidates over whether to push for a federal abortion ban.

Haley called on her opponents to be honest with voters that a federal law that imposes an abortion ban on all states would likely never get through the narrowly divided Congress. She said the issue should be sent back to the states. She also made a personal appeal.

We need to stop demonizing this issue, Haley said. We arent going to put a woman in jail ... if she has an abortion.

On the other side: Pence, an evangelical Christian who has long fought against abortion rights. Both Pence and Scott openly endorsed a national ban on abortions at 15 weeks at least. Pence said that Haleys call to find consensus in the states is the opposite of leadership.

Its not a states-only issue. Its a moral issue, he said.

DeSantis, who signed a 6-week abortion ban into Florida law just this spring, didnt take a position on a federal ban when asked directly. He said he was proud to sign his states abortion ban, which is one of the strictest in the nation.

Democrats were likely happy with the discussion. They already plan to make abortion a central issue in next falls general election.

DESANTIS IN THE BACKGROUND

The Florida governor was the highest polling contender on stage. Yet at the debate, he seemed to slide into the background as Ramaswamy took most of the attacks and fought with others on stage.

DeSantis rarely waded into the back-and-forth, preferring to wait for a moment when he could give a lengthy statement. His critics especially Trump have hammered him for being awkward and wooden, and he had relatively few opportunities to dispel that impression.

Thats not to say DeSantis didnt have strong moments. He grabbed hold of a question about liberal billionaire George Soros, a major donor to left-leaning causes and frequent conservative target. DeSantis noted he was the only person on the stage whosremoved Democratic prosecutorswho were elected with donations from Soros network.

As president, we are going to go after all of these people because they are hurting the quality of life, DeSantis said.

But even when DeSantis successfully walked the tightrope that has defined his campaign avoiding direct Trump criticism while making a case for why hed do the job better he was brought down to Earth.

The candidates were asked whether Pence did the right thing by letting Congress certify Joe Bidens presidential election victory on Jan. 6, 2021. DeSantis was notably quiet and had to be asked twice by the moderators for his answer. Ive answered this, Mike did his duty, Ive got no beef with him, DeSantis said, contending that Democrats wanted the GOP to talk about Jan. 6 while pivoting to the future, saying the election has to be about Jan. 20, 2025 the day the next president is sworn in.

Bret Baier, one of the moderators, retorted, Donald Trump is beating you by 30 to 40 points in the polls so it is an issue we have to face.

Its not clear whether DeSantis changed that dynamic. With roughly four months left to go until voting starts, he may not have many other big opportunities to do so.

THE LONE WOMAN ON STAGE

With eight candidates on the stage, it was a challenge to stand out. But one stood out immediately Haley because she was the only woman there and the only person not in a dark suit and Republican-red tie.

Haley quoted Margaret Thatcher about how women get things done while men talk, stressing the importance of educating girls and arguing that keeping transgender girls out of female sports was a womans issue. I am going to fight for girls all day long because strong girls become strong women and strong women become strong leaders, Haley said.

She also explicitly referenced the general election even as she remains a longshot in primary polls. Some of her most memorable moments came when she sparred with Ramaswamy on whether the U.S. should send weapons and funding to Ukraine.

REJECTION OF TRUMPS FALSE ELECTION CLAIMS

Trump has almost made it a prerequisite for people vying for his partys nomination to claim that he won the 2020 election. In 2022, Republican candidates in several debates were quick to say they disbelieve the 2020 election results.

Not on Wednesday. Instead, candidate after candidate praised Pence who may end up a witness in one of the federal prosecutions against Trump for rejecting the former presidents pleas to halt Bidens certification as the victor on Jan. 6. Only Ramaswamy declined to support Pence.

Mike Pence stood for the constitution and he deserves not grudging credit but our thanks as Americans, Christie said.

Pence has been attacked by Trump repeatedly and pursued by hecklers still angry that he didnt try to keep Trump in office. While an Associated Press poll earlier this month found that 7 out of 10 Americans think Biden legitimately won the election, 57% of Republicansdo not agree with that statement. Thats a reflection of both Trumps repetition of his election lies and the way a conservative media world parrots those lies, or at least shies away from contradicting them.

Fox News recently paid $787 million to settle a libel suit from voting machine firm Dominion Systems over airing lies about the 2020 election, so it was especially striking to hear such robust statements on the network, including Pences final statement about Trump.

He asked me to put him over the Constitution, Pence said of the former president, and I chose the Constitution.

AN UNRULY EVENT, AT TIMES

Things started off quietly as the candidates beat up on Bidens economic policies. But when the participants turned against each other, Baier and fellow moderator Martha MacCallum struggled to control the action at times.

DeSantis helped set the tone early by rejecting the moderators request for candidates to raise their hands if they believed human behavior caused climate change.

Were not schoolchildren, DeSantis charged. And the moderators abandoned their request.

At one point, Ramaswamy and Haley shouted over each other for more than 30 seconds when the conversation turned to foreign policy. The candidates waved their fingers at each other as they yelled. The moderators stayed silent.

Baier and MacCallum let the candidates drive the action for much of the night which is typically what the audience wants, although there will be critics who would have preferred a more orderly affair.

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The Key Moments From the First Republican Presidential Debate - WTTW News