After a chaotic and opaque journey to qualify, eight Republican presidential candidates took to the debate stage for the first time in the 2024 cycle Wednesday night in Milwaukee.

But the man those eight candidates are aspiring to beat, former President Donald Trump, was not there, citing his substantial polling lead nationally and in early primary states and opting instead to take part in a pre-recorded interview on social meda.

Recap Spectrum News' coverage of the first 2024 GOP presidential debate: