Despite DeSantis’s strong words against Trump, likely Republican primary voters still think highly of Trump, according to our pre-debate 538/Washington Post/Ipsos poll. 68 percent view Trump favorably, compared to 30 percent who have an unfavorable view.

—Analysis by Holly Fuong of 538

Government spending is certainly a factor when it comes to inflation. But it’s not the only factor.

The 2021 American Rescue Plan Act added about $1.9 trillion to the economy, and economists across the political spectrum say that it spurred inflation. They differ on the precise scale of its impact, with estimates ranging from two to four additional points out of the current inflation rate of about 8.5 percent.

However, none of the experts PolitiFact talked to, liberal or conservative, said Biden’s actions were responsible for all of the inflation. Past government spending, COVID’s disruptions to labor markets, energy prices and supply-chains also played significant roles. Most recently, the war in Ukraine has made a challenging situation worse.

-Analysis by Aaron Sharockman, PolitiFact

It took 15 minutes for the putative polling front-runner to get a word in, and DeSantis uses it to go after Trump on the debt and not showing up for the debate tonight. He even brought a prop -- a veto pen that he says he'll use to block "bloated spending" bills as president. But if he only gets off a few words every 15 minutes, this will be a long night for him.

—Jacob Rubashkin, 538 contributor

Christie goes after Republicans and Democrats for adding billions to the D.C., but he also takes a shot at Trump for not showing up to the debate. This is the first mention of the former president who is very likely to defeat all of these Republicans in the GOP primary.

—Analysis by Geoffrey Skelley of 538

At several points during the second hour of the debate, it got particularly heated between former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and someone she appointed to the U.S. Senate in 2013: Tim Scott.

Haley first went after Scott for not completing what he touted as his economic policy accomplishments.

“I appreciate him. We've known each other a long time. But he's been there 12 years and he hasn't done any of that. He has, they've only given four audits on time,” she said.

Then came a heated back-and-forth before Haley repeated, “Twelve years, where have you been? ... Bring it, Tim.”

The two also fought over Haley’s gas tax in South Carolina.

“​​I would love to finish my conversation with Nikki as it relates to the job that needs to get done. Nikki offered a 10-cent gas tax increase in South Carolina. Talk about someone who has never seen a federal dollar,” Scott said.

Haley then told Scott to do his homework regarding the spending and gas tax in South Carolina. He responded, “just go to YouTube.”

Haley ended the exchange by telling Scott that he was “scrapping right now” (as in scrambling).

“You are scrapping right now, you are scrapping. You know, I fought taxes, I cut taxes, I took care of South Carolina and you know it.”

They then got into a rift over a set of over $50,000 customized curtains for the State Department in the official residence of the ambassador to the United Nations. Haley was the first to live in the new residence.

–ABC News’ Abby Cruz, Gabriella Abdul-Hakim and Isabella Murray