Mediaboss Marketing

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.

More here:
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.

See the rest here:
The Key Moments From the First Republican Presidential Debate - WTTW News

Former Vice President Mike Pence speaks at the Westside Conservative Club Breakfast, Wednesday, March 29, 2023, in Urbandale, Iowa. Charlie Neibergall/AP hide caption

Former Vice President Mike Pence speaks at the Westside Conservative Club Breakfast, Wednesday, March 29, 2023, in Urbandale, Iowa.

Former Vice President Mike Pence plans to announce his campaign for president on June 7 at an event in Des Moines, according to a source familiar with the campaign.

Pence has been signaling his plans for several months with several stops in early voting states like New Hampshire and Iowa and the announcement of a super PAC supporting his bid. Pence will join at least nine other Republicans attempting to unseat former President Trump as the frontrunner for the GOP nomination.

In the past several weeks Pence has previewed a campaign focused on returning the Republican party to traditional GOP themes like expanding free markets, fiscal responsibility, supporting American allies abroad and small government. He has also made more pointed attacks on Trump, his former running mate, by invoking his own faith and family values and promising to respect the constitution.

President Donald Trump listens as Vice President Mike Pence speaks about the coronavirus in the Rose Garden of the White House on April 27, 2020. Alex Brandon/AP hide caption

President Donald Trump listens as Vice President Mike Pence speaks about the coronavirus in the Rose Garden of the White House on April 27, 2020.

Trump's former right-hand teased in recent months that he was considering running for office.

"We're giving it consideration in our house. Prayerful consideration," he recently said.

Pence has reportedly been assembling his campaign team leading up to the announcement.

In a November 2022 interview with NPR's Steve Inskeep, Pence said his draw to the presidency boils down to sense of service. He said he believes that the people want to get back to the policies he and Trump championed during their time in office: a strong military; conservative courts; support for allies and standing up to enemies.

"But I think they long for leadership that could unite our country around our highest ideals and demonstrate the kind of respect and civility that the American people show each other every day," Pence told Inskeep. "You know, our politics is very divided right now, maybe more than any time in my lifetime. But you know, moving back to Indiana, shopping at the grocery store, going to the gas station, being back around family and friends, traveling the country, I'm not convinced that the American people are as divided as our politics."

Read this article:
Former Vice President Mike Pence expected to run for president in ... - NPR

Chip Saltsman, the architect of former Gov. Mike Huckabees 2008 Iowa caucuses victor has been helping Pence lay the groundwork in Iowa.

Pence, who resisted pressure from former President Donald Trump to overturn the results of the 2020 election, faces a steep climb. Of all the contenders in a still-growing field, he has been among the most forceful in drawing a distinction from Trump, challenging him, though sometimes obliquely, on everything from foreign policy to federal spending. In return, he has alienated a large portion of the MAGA base.

Boy, if hed never been through January 6, and had the ramifications of all that, hed be particularly well built for the Iowa caucuses now, said Dave Kochel, the veteran Iowa Republican strategist. Maybe he can overcome that stuff, but thats why we run the campaign. Well find out.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this report misidentified Sen. Joni Ernsts title.

More:
Has Mike Pence announced his campaign yet? No. But he will soon. - POLITICO

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. Former Vice President Mike Pence spoke alongside former Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos in Grand Rapids Wednesday night.

The event was titled What do Conservatives Believe: A Conversation with Mike Pence. It was held at Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park Wednesday at 7 p.m.

The event touched on some of the key issues that have been dividing Republican leadership as more 2024 presidential hopefuls announce their campaigns.

Former Vice President Mike Pence and Betsy DeVos speaking in Grand Rapids

This comes as news broke that Pence will officially launch his long-expected campaign for the Republican nomination for president in Iowa next week, adding another candidate to the growing GOP field and putting him in direct competition with his former boss.

Pence will hold a kickoff event in Des Moines on June 7, the date of his 64th birthday, according to two people familiar with his plans who spoke on condition of anonymity to share details ahead of the official announcement. He is also expected to release a video message that morning as part of the launch.

The decision to begin his campaign in Iowa instead of his home state of Indiana underscores the importance Pences team is placing on the early-voting state. They see Iowa as critical to Pences potential path to victory and hope his message will resonate with the evangelical Christian voters who make up a substantial portion of the states Republican electorate. Pence is an avowed social conservative and is staunchly opposed to abortion rights, favoring a national ban.

Advisers say he plans to campaign aggressively in the state, hitting every one of its 99 counties before the caucuses next year.

The campaign is expected to lean heavily on town halls and retail stops including plenty of visits to Iowas famed Pizza Ranch chain aimed at showcasing Pences personality and background as he tries to emerge from former President Donald Trump s shadow.

While Pence is well-known by Republican voters, aides believe he needs to reintroduce himself to voters who only know him from his time as Trumps second-in-command. Pence, who served for more than a decade in Congress and as Indianas governor before he was tapped as Trumps running mate in 2016, had been an exceedingly loyal vice president until he broke with Trump over the 2020 election.

Trump, desperate to overturn his loss and remain in power, had tried to convince Pence and his supporters that Pence could somehow reject voters will as he presided over the ceremonial counting of the Electoral College votes on Jan. 6, 2021, even though the vice president has no such power. As the count was underway, a violent mob of Trumps supporters stormed the building, smashing through windows, assailing police and sending Pence, his family and his staff racing for cover as members of the mob chanted, Hang Mike Pence!

Pence has said Trumps reckless wordsendangered his family and everyone else who was at the Capitol that day. He has said history will hold Donald Trump accountable.

For four years, we had a close working relationship. It did not end well, Pence wrote in his book, So Help Me God.

Pence has spent the 2 1/2 years since then strategically distancing himself from Trump as he has laid the groundwork for the campaign. While he consistently praises the record of the Trump-Pence administration,he has also stressed differences between the two men, on both policy and style.

He has called on his party to move on from Trumps election grievances, warned against the growing tideof populism in the Republican Party, and admonished Putin apologists unwilling to stand up to the Russian leader over his assault on Ukraine, in a dig at Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is running a distant second to Trump in the polls.

He has also argued in favor of cuts to programs like Social Security and Medicare which both Trump and DeSantis have vowed not to touch and criticized DeSantis for his escalating feud with Disney.

Pence also testified last month before a federal grand jury investigating efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

Pence has spent months visiting early voting states, delivering policy speeches, speaking at churches and courting donors as he has tested the waters on a presidential run. Allies had launched a super PAC earlier this month that will focus on building a paid ground operation to get people out to vote.

The week will be a busy one for GOP announcements. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is planning to launch his campaign Tuesday evening at a town hall event in New Hampshire and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum will announce his own bid on June 7 in Fargo.

Follow FOX 17: Facebook - Twitter - Instagram - YouTube

Originally posted here:
Former VP Mike Pence speaks in Grand Rapids ahead of campaign ... - FOX 17 West Michigan News