Republican debate on Trump indictments misrepresented online

"When asked who would pardon Trump……DeSantis looks at Vivek before he raises his hand," says an August 24, 2023 post on Twitter, which is being rebranded as "X."

"Please raise your hand if you would," says the debate co-moderator Bret Baier of Fox News in the video, and most of the nominees do.

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Screenshot of a post on Twitter, which is being rebranded as "X," taken August 24, 2023

"@VivekGRamaswamy shoots hand high up in the air when asked if he would pardon Donald Trump. Watch how everyone else on stage looks at him before they timidly raise their fingers," says an X post shared by conservative commentator Benny Johnson, further perpetuating the claim.

Several similar posts can be found elsewhere on X and TikTok.

Eight presidential hopefuls participated in the first GOP debate of the 2024 race for the nomination which was hosted by Fox News on August 23, 2023 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Trump, currently facing four indictments, declined to participate, opting instead for a pre-recorded interview with former Fox host Tucker Carlson posted on X, as the debate began.

Trump, the first US president in history to face criminal charges, was a major topic of discussion, despite his absence.

However, the claims made online are false and misrepresent a question posed to candidates. They were not asked about an eventual pardon for the former president, but if they would support Trump as the GOP nominee if he is convicted of federal crimes.

"You all signed a pledge to support the eventual Republican nominee. If former president Trump is convicted in a court of law, would you still support him as your party's choice? Raise your hand if you would," Baier asked the participants, to which the majority raised their hands.

Baier did not mention the pardoning of Trump for his alleged crimes.

The topic of dropping the federal charges against the former president was brought up by Vivek Ramaswamy, who has on several occasions vowed to pardon Trump, if elected to the White House.

His stance during the debate was no different, calling Trump "the best president of the 21st century" and once again promising to pardon him if he is convicted.

In an exchange with Mike Pence, he pushed the former vice president to make the same pledge.

"Join me in making a commitment that on day one you would pardon Donald Trump," said Ramaswamy. "I'm the only candidate on the stage who had the courage to actually say it," he added.

Pence noted that in his past role as governor of the state of Indiana, he has granted pardons and that it usually follows "a finding of guilt and contrition by the individual that's been convicted." However, he did not rule out the possibility. "If I am president of the United States, we'll give fair consideration to any pardon requests," he said.

Trump responded to Ramaswamy's comments, declaring him the debate's winner on Truth Social.

"This answer gave Vivek Ramaswamy a big WIN in the debate because of a thing called TRUTH. Thank you Vivek!" Trump wrote.

The former president on August 24, 2023 was expected to appear at a Georgia courthouse on racketeering charges stemming from his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

Georgia prosecutors want the case to begin in March 2024, the same month Trump is scheduled to go on trial in New York on campaign finance and other financial charges relating to the 2016 presidential election.

More of AFP's reporting on political misinformation can be found here.