Vivek Ramaswamy, known for his strong support for Trump, got a lot of focus in the debate. Few of the candidates criticized him.

Former New JerseyGov., Chris Christie said Ramaswamy sounded like a robot. Nikki Haley, former South Carolina Gov., expressed concerns about Ramaswamy’s ideas on Ukraine, China, and Israel. And former Vice President Mike Pence called him inexperienced.

Ramaswamy fought back, saying Christie just wanted a TV job. He sarcastically wished Haley luck with her future work. He called his rivals as “super PAC puppets,” even though he himself is supported by a super PAC.

Ramaswamy, who is 38 years old, has risen quickly in the Republican primary by embracing Trump’s ideas, talking with many media outlets, and promising to expand on Trump’s ideas. But in the debate, others, including his rivals, saw him as inexperienced and contradictory in his positions.

Some GOP insiders thought Ramaswamy came across as impressive to Trump supporters but as immature and arrogant to others. Ramaswamy seemed proud of the attention he got in the debate and suggested that his opponents felt threatened by him.

Interestingly, Trump’s team seemed to enjoy Ramaswamy’s performance, as he drew more focus than the Florida governor who has been criticized by Trump earlier.

Ramaswamy’s Impact and Initial Criticisms
While some thought Ramaswamy’s clashes with opponents were his strongest moments, Pence’s campaign criticized his idea to eliminate the FBI. Haley’s campaign portrayed Ramaswamy as weak compared to her.

Tricia McLaughlin, who speaks for Ramaswamy, said that the strong attacks Ramaswamy experienced mean that people see him as a big problem for the usual GOP way of doing things.

Unanswered Questions and Future Debates
The debate on Wednesday did finish, but there were still some questions that didn’t get answered. As Ramaswamy was leaving the room where people talk to the media, a reporter asked him if he would have done the same thing as Pence did on January 6, 2021. This question was asked to all the candidates during the debate.

Ramaswamy said, “I had a detailed answer for that question, but I also wanted to follow the rules as best I could.” He also said, “I’m looking forward to talking about it in another debate because we have to run right now. Please ask me about it in the September debate.