Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy got booed on stage during the first Republican presidential debate after asserting that climate change is a hoax.

The debate, hosted by Fox News anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, came to an unexpected turn when the hosts asked the candidates if they believe in human-induced climate change and would address young conservatives’ fears that the GOP party doesn’t care about the issue.

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Ramaswamy did not mince his words as he claimed that the “climate agenda is a hoax.”

“The reality is, the carbon agenda is the wet blanket on our economy,” Ramaswamy said. “And so the reality is, more people are dying of bad climate change policy than they are of actual climate change.”

His response received loud boos from the audience.

A number of the other GOP candidates chimed in, countering Ramasamy’s narrative and asserting that Republicans do care about climate change.

“We do care about clean air, clean water,” said Nikki Haley. “And the right way to do it is, first of all, yes, climate change is real.”

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Shortly after the moment, President Joe Biden tweeted a jab at Ramaswamy. "Climate change is real, by the way."

The moment marked a subtle yet significant shift on the issue of climate change within the Republican party. An issue that has rarely taken significance within GOP campaigns took a national front seat, with the moderators asking the presidential candidates whether or not climate change is real.