Fox News Debate Elicits Boos After Trump’s Indictments Surface

A question on whether his rivals would support former President Donald Trump if he’s convicted of a crime elicited boos from the crowd at the first Republican primary debate of the 2024 election cycle, in the battleground state of Wisconsin.

Fox News anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, who moderated the debate at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, asked the eight GOP contenders on stage about Trump’s mounting legal woes and whether they would pledge their support to him if he’s the GOP’s nominee. The question about Trump, who is facing four separate indictments, appeared to rile up the audience.

Baier started off the question by saying the next topic would focus on the “elephant not in the room.” Trump, the GOP front-runner, skipped the debate and appeared on former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson’s new show released on X, formerly Twitter.

Newsweek reached out via email on Wednesday to Trump’s representatives for comment.

MacCallum then lists off the former president’s legal hurdles, which include 91 charges stemming from four separate indictments, noting that Trump plans to surrender in Georgia on Thursday, where he was issued his most recent indictment.

Baier then mentioned the Republican National Committee’s (RNC’s) loyalty pledge, which all the GOP presidential hopefuls had to sign before participating in the debate. By signing, they vowed to support the nominee.

“If former President Trump is convicted in a court of law, would you still support him as your party’s choice,” Baier asked the group. “Please raise your hand if you would.”

Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum all raised their hands right away.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former Vice President Mike Pence hesitated but ultimately raised their hands while former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson did not raise his hand at all, despite the RNC pledge. When asked to explain why, he said, “because there’s an important issue we as a party need to face.”

Hutchinson has said previously that Trump should be disqualified over his actions in the January 6, 2021, siege on the U.S. Capitol. Hutchinson said he will not support a candidate convicted of a felony.

Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a vocal Trump critic, appeared to raise his hand while shaking his head no but clarified that he was making a hand gesture.

When asked by Baier if he was “late to the game” in raising his hand, Christie said, “no, I’m doing this,” and shook his finger before saying that “someone’s got to stop normalizing this conduct.”

The former governor’s response provoked more boos from the crowd, partially drowning out his answer.

“Whether or not you believe that the criminal charges are right or wrong, the conduct is beneath the office of president of the United States,” Christie continued over the shouts of the audience.

As the moderators attempted to give each candidate a turn to answer, Baier and MacCallum had to address the audience at one point, asking the crowd to stop booing and yelling over the candidates.