Who won the first GOP Presidential debate of the year? It’s going to vary depending on who you talk to. Many had their talking points prepared before the event began. Sometimes those talking points need to be rearranged in the wake of an event, but that gives a hint as to who did well.
Before the debate, the pro-Trump side of the party was in agreement that Vivek would dominate the rhetoric and take down Ron DeSantis. The young rookie was forced to defend himself after several embarrassing stumbles. He even plagiarized Barack Obama, perhaps the most bizarre moment of the evening.
While the pro-Trump side still hasn’t been able to use the original frame they had hoped for, they are still quick to declare Ramaswamy as the winner. They see him not only as Trump’s surrogate but also have no intention to vote for him.
You got this stuff instead, as well as a fixation on how DeSantis raised a hand at one time.
Post Debate:
I ran into @DonaldJTrumpJr and asked him who he thought was tonight’s biggest loser in Milwaukee.
Here’s what he had to say: pic.twitter.com/GtUnttBWc3
— Rebecca Brannon (@RebsBrannon) August 24, 2023
Pre-debate, we were saying that DeSantis would faceplant hilariously because he is a terrible debater. Now, it’s said that he lost the election because he did not do enough to be noticed. Convenient, right?
The far-left media was no different. Rachel Maddow appeared on the MSNBC panel and said that DeSantis had done “absolutely horrible.”
.@maddow on Ron DeSantis: “I really thought he was performing, and forgive me, at like a Doug Burgum level.” pic.twitter.com/OhlVgwQ98O
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) August 24, 2023
You probably watched it. Do you agree with that, even if he didn’t win the debate? Does it sound like people are just upset because DeSantis didn’t make the viral mistakes they predicted?
Who won the debate in reality? Even though I don’t personally like Nikki Haley, I can see how she could have won the debate on certain points. There’s also the strong argument that DeSantis was successful because he did what he had to do. This included avoiding a debate about Donald Trump becoming a slapfest.
It’s easy to understand the motives behind those who claim he’s “terrible”, or that he’s the biggest loser in the race. DeSantis is being pushed out of the race by some people. They won’t get what they want, I think.
Does this debate really make a difference? I don’t know. As I have said previously, it may not be possible for any candidate to surpass Trump at this point since the indictments are such a rallying call for Republicans. This is a completely different matter than how objectively each candidate performed in the debate. DeSantis performed well and the fact that people are wringing their hands over him is more than enough proof.
