By Staff, Agencies

Aid to Ukraine, abortion rights, and former US President Donald Trump’s legal troubles: Eight Republican presidential hopefuls have clashed over a range of issues in the first debate of the 2024 United States election season.

The candidates took the stage in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Wednesday night, hoping to chip away at Trump’s commanding lead in the race for the GOP nomination.

With the ex-president skipping the event – and instead sitting down for an interview with conservative host Tucker Carlson – the debate presented an opportunity for Trump’s challengers to try to appeal to millions of voters.

But Trump nevertheless was a big presence even though he wasn’t in the room.

The White House hopefuls criticized US President Joe Biden’s record and had heated exchanges over foreign policy, including US aid to Ukraine, and domestic issues ranging from public safety and abortion to education and the American economy.

Vivek Ramaswamy, an entrepreneur with no previous political experience, has been gaining popularity in the GOP nomination race by branding himself as a Trump-like outsider to politics.

And he made his presence known during the debate, getting into several heated exchanges with his fellow Republicans.

Ramaswamy clashed with former US Vice President Mike Pence in the first head-to-head confrontation of the evening. “Now is not the time for on-the-job training,” Pence said, calling Ramaswamy a “rookie”.

Ramaswamy hit back by slamming what he called “professional politicians” and “super PAC puppets” – a reference to so-called Political Action Committees that contribute funding to various political campaigns in the US.

Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie also hit out at Ramaswamy after the candidate said he believed “the climate change agenda is a hoax”. “I’ve had enough already tonight of a guy who sounds like ChatGPT standing up here,” Christie said.

Ramaswamy has pledged to cut down on government bureaucracy if elected, saying he would shut down the “administrative state” and eliminate the FBI by moving the bureau’s law enforcement agents into other government departments.

In his opening comments of the debate, he said: “First, let me just address a question that is on everybody’s mind at home tonight: Who the heck is this skinny guy with a funny last name and what the heck is he doing in the middle of this debate stage?

He added later that “it’s going to take an outsider” to lead the Republican Party.

The candidates also clashed over the ongoing criminal cases against Trump – and their support for the former president.