Hey, everyone, it's Reed. Before I get started, I know you've already downloaded the episode

because you're listening to it. But before you just get back to what you're doing,

take a look at the episode description for each show. It'll give you more background on our

guest, on their work, whether or not that's a book or a website or a substack, or any of

the information that we referenced during the show.

It'll give you that extra context you need to not only listen and understand, but also go

spread the pro-democracy gospel. Thanks, everybody, and on with the show. Welcome back to the Lincoln Project. I'm your host, Reid Galen. Today, I'm coming to

you solo to give you my thoughts on last night's Republican presidential debate. The debate,

which aired on Fox News, consisted of eight candidates seeking

the GOP nomination for 2024. Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramoswamy, Mike Pence, Nikki Haley, Tim Scott,

Chris Christie, Asa Hutchison, and Doug Bergam. Donald Trump, the presumptive nominee,

did not participate in the debate and instead gave a pre-taped interview with Tucker Carlson that was posted on Twitter or X or whatever we're going to call it nowadays, five minutes before the debate began.

There's a lot here. So let me just say this, that I think it is the height of 2023 in the American Republican Party that all of these candidates had to sign a pledge to

participate and support a man who would not sign a pledge and would not participate. I think that

basically tells you all you need to know. And so here's the thing. None of it mattered.

It doesn't matter what any of the media says about the horse

race or how Donald Trump is still who Donald Trump is, that Ronda Santis is still lacking

humanity, that Mike Pence has the charisma of a bowl of vanilla ice cream, that Vivek Ramoswamy is Trump Jr. None of this matters, right?

Oh, Nikki Haley had a good night. Okay, in the context of the unreality in which we're living,

sure, she did. Chris Christie got some great shots at on Vivek Ramoswamy. Who cares? Neither one of them

are going to be nominee of the Republican Party.

When asked whether or not they'd support Donald Trump if he's convicted of the 91 different counts,

...