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WEKU
WEKU
Politics
Domenico Montanaro

EXPLAINED: 5 takeaways from the first republican primary debate - The Real Truth

Donald Trump Vivek Ramaswamy Nikki Haley Mike Pence Republican Ron DeSantis United Nations Tucker Carlson Republican Party Morry Gash
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)

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.

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