First GOP presidential debate: on Principles & Values
Donald Trump:
"Fake news" isn't tough enough anymore; it's "corrupt news"
I think cable's down because it's lost credibility. MSNBC, or as they say, "MSDNC," is so bad. It's so wrong. What they write and what they do and what they say. It's fake news, as I said. I think I came up with that term. I hope I did.
It's a good one. It's not tough enough anymore. It's corrupt news. Really, what you do is called corrupt news. But somehow that doesn't play as nicely. But it is corrupt news.
Source: Tucker on X interview opposite 2023 GOP debate in Milwaukee
Aug 23, 2023
Donald Trump:
Jan. 6: There was love in that crowd; love and unity
But people that were in that crowd that day, a very small group of people went down there. Then there are a lot of scenarios that we can talk about, but people in that crowd said it was the most beautiful day they've ever experienced.
There was love in that crowd. There was love and unity. I have never seen such spirit, and such passion, and such love, and I've also never seen, simultaneously and from the same people, such hatred of what they've done to our country.
Source: Tucker on X interview opposite 2023 GOP debate in Milwaukee
Aug 23, 2023
Ron DeSantis:
Our country is in decline, but can be reversed
GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): Our country is in decline. This decline is not inevitable. It's a choice. We need to send Joe Biden back to his basement and reverse American decline.And it starts with understanding we must reverse
Bidenomics so that middle class families have a chance to succeed again. We cannot succeed as a country if you are working hard and can't afford groceries, a car, or a new home while
Hunter Biden can make hundreds of thousands of dollars on lousy paintings. That is wrong.
We also cannot succeed when the Congress spends trillions and trillions of dollars.
Source: Fox News 2023 Republican primary debate in Milwaukee
Aug 23, 2023
Asa Hutchinson:
A president should bring out the best of our people
A president's number one responsibility is to bring out the best of our people. That's what Ronald Reagan did. And he did it with optimism and hope for our country with consistent conservatism. That's exactly what I bring. I'll bring out the best of
America in terms of individual responsibility, building our economy, in terms of securing our border, enforcing the rule of law. I will bring out the best of America in terms of our national character, our faith, and our hope for the future.
Source: Fox News 2023 Republican primary debate in Milwaukee
Aug 23, 2023
Asa Hutchinson:
Trump morally disqualified, and based on 14th Amendment
Q: If former President Trump is convicted in a court of law, would you still support him as your party's choice? Please raise your hand if you would.HUTCHINSON: I did not raise my hand because there's an important issue we as a party have to face.
Well over a year ago, I said that Donald Trump was morally disqualified from being President, again, as a result of what happened on January 6th. More people are understanding the importance of that, including conservative legal scholars, who says he
may be disqualified under the 14th Amendment from being President, again, as a result of the insurrection. This is something that could disqualify him, under our rules, and under the Constitution.
And so obviously, I'm not going to support somebody who's been convicted of a serious felony, or who has this is disqualified under our Constitution. And that's consistent with RNC rules. And I hope everybody would agree with that.
Source: Fox News 2023 Republican primary debate in Milwaukee
Aug 23, 2023
Doug Burgum:
Small town values are the way to get country on track again
No one ever asks the question, "what about the crime wave in small towns?" Because in a small town, neighbors help neighbors. People understand each other. If a farmer gets sick, everybody comes together and helps him get the crop up.
There's accountability. There's transparency. One thing I think this country could use is somebody in the White House that understands small town values because that's our road back to get this country on track again.
Source: Fox News 2023 Republican primary debate in Milwaukee
Aug 23, 2023
Doug Burgum:
You can see this great country, our future, is unlimited
When I'm on a horseback in the Badlands of North Dakota, it looks like the horizon is just limitless. And when you can almost see beyond that horizon, you can see that this great country, our future, is unlimited. But we've got to focus on innovation,
not regulation. We've got to cut the red tape. We've got to drive ourselves forward. The way we win the cold war with China is by growing our economy and through innovation.
Source: Fox News 2023 Republican primary debate in Milwaukee
Aug 23, 2023
Mike Pence:
Jan. 6: I chose the Constitution and I always will
Mike PENCE: No one's above the law. And President Trump is entitled to the presumption of innocence that every American is entitled to. And we will make sure and extend that to him, that the American people deserve to know that the President asked me in
his request that I reject or return votes unilaterally, power that no Vice President in American history had ever exercised or taken. He asked me to put him over the Constitution. And I chose the Constitution. And I always will.Gov. Chris CHRISTIE:
Mike Pence stood for the Constitution. He deserves not grudging credit. He deserves our thanks as Americans for putting his oath of office and the Constitution of the United States before personal political and unfair pressure. The argument that we need
to have in this party, before we can move on to the issues is we have to dispense with the person who said that we need to suspend the Constitution to put forward his political career. Mike Pence said no, and he deserves credit for it.
Source: Fox News 2023 Republican primary debate in Milwaukee
Aug 23, 2023
Mike Pence:
Americans are the most faith-filled, freedom-loving people
Mike PENCE: We don't have an identity crisis, Vivek. We're not looking for a new national identity. The American people are the most faith filled, freedom loving, idealistic, hard-working people the world has ever known. We just need government as good
as our people.Vivek RAMASWAMY: Mike, the difference is, you might have a Morning in America speech. It is not Morning in America. We live in a dark moment, and we have to confront the fact that we're in an internal sort of cold cultural civil war.
Source: Fox News 2023 Republican primary debate in Milwaukee
Aug 23, 2023
Mike Pence:
I have faith that God is not done with America yet
We proved you can turn this country around faster than you can imagine. I have faith we will again. Because I have faith in the American people, the good, decent, hard-working faith-filled, idealistic people of this country. I have faith that God
is not done with America yet. And if we will renew our faith in one another, and renew our faith in him, who has ever guided this nation since we arrived on these wilderness shores I know the best days for the greatest nation on earth are yet to come.
Source: Fox News 2023 Republican primary debate in Milwaukee
Aug 23, 2023
Nikki Haley:
Troops protect America overseas; we should fight for it here
Several weeks ago, I dropped my husband Michael, a combat veteran from Afghanistan, off at 4:00am for another year-long deployment. I watched him and 230 soldiers pick up their two duffel bags of belongings to go to a country they had never been, all in
the name of protecting America. If they are willing to protect us from there, we should be willing to fight for America here. We will make sure we have an America that is strong and proud. We have a country to save.
Source: Fox News 2023 Republican primary debate in Milwaukee
Aug 23, 2023
Ron DeSantis:
2024 is make or break; we're not getting a mulligan
This is our time for choosing. We will send Joe Biden back to his basement and we will reverse the decline of this country. In Florida, we showed it could be done.
I made promises and I delivered on all of those promises. 2024 is make or break. We're not getting a mulligan. No excuses. I will get the job done and as your president, I will not let you down. God bless you all.
Source: Fox News 2023 Republican primary debate in Milwaukee
Aug 23, 2023
Tim Scott:
Our Judeo-Christian values have made us the greatest nation
Well, our nation was founded upon the Judeo Christian values that has made this the greatest nation on God's Green Earth.
I'm a big believer in Ephesians 3:20 that God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we ask or imagine. Our responsibility should be the modeled behavior we want others to follow.
Source: Fox News 2023 Republican primary debate in Milwaukee
Aug 23, 2023
Vivek Ramaswamy:
Worried the American dream won't exist for our two sons
My parents came to this country with no money 40 years ago. I have gone on to found multibillion dollar companies. I did it while I married my wife Apoorva, raising our two sons, following our faith in God. That is the American dream. And
I am genuinely worried that that American dream will not exist for our two sons and their generation unless we do something about it. Now is our moment to start running to something, to our vision of what it means to be an American today.
Source: Fox News 2023 Republican primary debate in Milwaukee
Aug 23, 2023
Vivek Ramaswamy:
Constitution strongest guarantor of freedom in human history
God is real. There are two genders. Fossil fuels are a requirement for human prosperity. Reverse-racism is racism. An open border is not a border. Parents determine the education of their children. The nuclear family is the greatest form of governance
known to man. Capitalism lifts us up from poverty. The US Constitution is the strongest guarantor of freedom in human history. That is what won us the American Revolution. That is what will win us the revolution of 2024.
Source: Fox News 2023 Republican primary debate in Milwaukee
Aug 23, 2023
Donald Trump:
AdWatch: Nominating Trump is Biden's ticket to re-election
[On ads aired before & during the first GOP primary debate]: - The political arm of the network backed by billionaire Charles Koch is releasing a slate of digital ads in key states aimed at former President Donald Trump.
- The ads argue a Trump
nomination in 2024 would effectively give President Joe Biden a second term.
- The digital ads are targeted at voters in IA, SC, NH, and NV, all key primary and caucus states.
[Transcription of 15-second ad]: "What's Biden's secret weapon? Donald
Trump as the GOP nominee. Then Biden wins the White House, and gets the House and Senate too. It's easy to see why Democrats want Trump: it's Biden's ticket to re-election."[Transcription of second 15-second ad]: "Trump did a lot of good things as
President. But this time, Trump can't win. Swing voters say no: 60% of Americans don't want Trump. In 2024, Biden will beat Trump. We need new leadership."
[Ads tagged, "Paid for by Americans for Prosperity Action. Not authorized by any candidate."]
Source: AdWatch "Prosperity Action" on 2023 GOP debate in Milwaukee
Aug 23, 2023
Page last updated: Sep 17, 2023