(LibertySociety.com) – The first Republican debate for the 2024 presidential primary election was fiery, but mostly peaceful, as candidates sparred over various topics such as abortion and whether former Vice President Mike Pence made the right decision to certify the 2020 election on January 6, 2021.
Fox News moderators Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum listed several examples of recent weather events, followed by a video about climate change from a college student who is a member of Young America’s Foundation. The moderators then asked the candidates to put up their hand if they believe human activity has an effect on climate change.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis interrupted before almost anyone could raise their hands, arguing that the candidates “are not schoolchildren.” He said that the topic should be debated, offering up his opinion first. He criticized President Biden for his lack of action regarding the wildfires in Maui, Hawaii, and touted his own response in Florida during natural disasters. Vivek Ramaswamy went next, noting that he was the only candidate at the debate who was not paid off by special interests. He blasted American climate policies that he believes sacrifice more lives than they save, repeating his claim that “the climate change agenda is a hoax.” Ramaswamy received mixed feedback from the audience with his response but elaborated further about the policies he believes are damaging to the United States, such as those surrounding the anti-carbon agenda.
Other candidates, including former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, and former Vice President Mike Pence, all focused on the carbon emissions from countries like India and China. Haley said that the policies coming out of the Biden administration, such as the push for all-electric vehicles, are doing nothing but “putting money in China’s pocket.”
Senator Tim Scott said that his plan to bring jobs back from China to America will improve the environment. He added that the policies America is being subjected to are only causing devastation to our own economy. Despite media reporting, all the Republican candidates in the 2024 presidential primary have acknowledged that climate change is real.
Copyright 2023, LibertySociety.com
