The first Republican presidential primary debate for the 2024 election took place on Wednesday night, featuring eight candidates vying for the party's nomination. The absence of frontrunner and former president Donald Trump was a notable talking point throughout the debate. When asked if they would support Trump as the party's nominee, most candidates replied affirmatively, with only Chris Christie refusing to lend his support due to concerns about Trump's conduct.

Moment of the night:

Vivek Ramaswamy triggers the entire GOP stage by calling them out for being “bought and paid for.”

🔥🔥🔥

“I'm the only person on the stage who isn't bought and paid for. So I can say this, the climate change agenda is a hoax. The climate change agenda is… pic.twitter.com/hhdGL1zsq1

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) August 24, 2023

Indian-origin entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, however, praised Trump as the best president of the 21st century, leading to heated exchanges with his fellow candidates. While Ramaswamy showed strength in the early stages of the debate, his defense weakened when questioned about Ukraine. Nikki Haley aggressively confronted Ramaswamy, criticizing his lack of foreign policy experience. The topic of abortion also sparked disagreement among the candidates, with Haley attempting to find common ground and Mike Pence advocating for stronger restrictions.

Another contentious issue was climate change, with Ramaswamy expressing skepticism and Ron DeSantis calling for a more substantial debate. Despite the lack of a clear winner, the primary debate revealed deep divides within the Republican party, with Trump benefitting from the chaos caused by his fellow candidates. Overall, the debate highlighted the sharp contrasts and disagreements among Republican contenders as they vie for the party's nomination.