Hear ye, hear ye, news nerds!
Ever wanted to know what the nitty gritty of a political debate looks like?
We did photojournalism on the journalists.
Documented the documenters.
Storified the storytellers.
We took you backstage of the Republican debate at the Reagan National Library in Simi Valley, CA.
Seven candidates took the stage, vying for the presidential nomination. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Former Vice President Mike Pence, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie debated for two hours. The debate was hosted by Fox Business Network and Univision.
The candidates spoke on topics such as how to increase militarization at the border; plans to force “law and order” in blue cities; abortion and forced birth policy. They extensively addressed “parental rights,” which has become a dog whistle for forcibly detransitioning queer children and outing them to their parents. Ramaswamy repeatedly noted that “transgenderism is a mental illness,” and doubled down on this claim, in the spin room after. Collectively, the candidates made sweeping generalizations about “crime” in America and falsely reported that the “Defund the Police’' movement was making the nation less safe.
In fact, nationwide, police budgets are overwhelmingly higher than ever before.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, a potential future Democratic presidential candidate, spent time speaking with the press at the library, on topics such as AI and the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes.
Notably lacking from the stage was former President Trump, who is still considered the frontrunner for the Republican candidacy.
