Who won and who lost the 2024 Republican debate? Did anyone end up prevailing? “Look, the format is stupid,” Adam Baldwin declares. “Eight people up on a stage with two moderators who seemed to have an agenda.” Both of us marveled at how Ron DeSantis never got hit with any attacks — at least from the other candidates — and how he managed to rise above the “shrillness” on stage. But did Donald Trump eclipse them with his Tucker Carlson counter-programming interview?
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Welcome back to our VIP video series “The Amiable Skeptics,” featuring my friend Adam Baldwin! Adam is well-known for his long and storied Hollywood career, starting with My Bodyguard, and especially for his roles in Full Metal Jacket, Firefly, its film sequel Serenity, Chuck, and The Last Ship.
Highlights from the show include:
- Both of us scoff at the “show of hands” gimmick tried twice in the debate, especially on the hypothetical of supporting Trump in the event of a conviction. “Only Ramaswamy stuck up his hand immediately,” I observed, and noted that DeSantis wasn’t the only one who looked reluctant to do so.
- “He was like Horschack,” Adam quipped, referencing “Welcome Back Kotter.”
- On the overall question of the nomination, Adam remains unconvinced so far by the field on stage. “It comes down to one question,” he says. “Can Trump beat Team O’Biden in 2014? I think he can.”
- Perhaps, I say, but it will be a long way to go before GOP primary voters have to make that decision. “I didn’t seee anything last night,” I say, “that was like, Oh my God, this person’s toast or Oh my God, this person has just won the primary.”
- We discuss the Trump-Tucker interview as well. Neither of us found anything newsmaking in it from Trump, but we have some comments on how Tucker conducted the interview.
Be sure to watch it all, and extend the conversation in the comments!
