Joe Biden undoubtedly had an excellent evening on Wednesday, August 23, if he had the patience to watch the first Republican primary debate to the end. It was two hours of arguments and interruptions between eight undisciplined candidates, in the absence of the overwhelming favorite, Donald Trump, who decided not to appear on Fox News. Contrary to expectations, his shadow did not overshadow the exchanges. The result was all the more damning for the Republican Party which, through these contenders, showed the pessimism and lack of ideas that haunt it. The American right seems to be at a standstill, hanging on the fate of the former president, who has held it hostage for eight years and was due to appear before a judge in Georgia on Thursday in connection with his fourth indictment.

The eight participants who met the conditions set by the Republican National Committee were of all ages, with different backgrounds and ethnic origins, representing a diversity of appearance. But in essence, they came across as willing or powerless victims of Trumpism, struggling to embody a convincing alternative, a resolute American conservatism that defends institutions and electoral integrity. Some did so by calculation, others out of a sense of realism. Those in the first group secretly hope that the American justice system – so hated for its supposed " instrumentalization " by the Democrats – will rid them of Trump and offer them an unhoped-for chance. The realists are there like comets: passing through, to shine before scattering.

Held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the debate was intended as a trial by fire for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who was so close to the front-runner in the polls in January but has been in freefall ever since, constantly reshaping his campaign. There was hardly any fire. DeSantis did not address the American people calmly; he often shouted, reciting arguments and staring at the camera. Strangely, nobody attacked him. This indifference was the worst possible signal for his team and the donors who have supported him on a massive scale, as they wait nervously for the next polls. The governor took no risks and did not engage in any interaction with another candidate.

It was exactly the opposite for 38-year-old millionaire entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, of Indian background. Supercharged, spontaneous, hilarious and demagogic, he borrowed the playbook of transgression from Trump, for whom Ramaswamy was an objective ally and underling. Although devoid of political experience, he managed to place himself at the center of all the lively exchanges, claiming to be the only one on stage who hadn't been "bought." "We’re just gonna have some fun tonight," he quipped at the start, all too happy with the role of establishment-challenging outsider, like the former president in 2015-2016. Ramaswamy kept his word, refusing to acknowledge climate change; calling for a halt to military aid to Ukraine; promising to cut off "the head of the snake," by which he meant the Department of Education; and finally asking an exasperated Mike Pence to commit to pardoning Trump, if elected.

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