GOP candidates trade insults at testy debate: Recap

Nine Republican presidential candidates were on air tonight, in two forums.

Eight candidates took the stage in Milwaukee, looking for a moment to set themselves apart from one another but also to gain traction in the race to beat former President Trump, who declined to participate in the debate because of his commanding lead.

Trump instead set up counterprogramming: A 46-minute interview with Tucker Carlson, which dropped online on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, just before the debate began.

In the interview, the former president took swings at favorite targets like his former Attorney General Bill Barr, rival candidate Chris Christie and at Fox News.

Here’s a recap of the live updates on both the debate and Trump.