Vivek Ramaswamy calls Nikki Haley Dick Cheney in heels and

Vivek Ramaswamy calls Nikki Haley “Dick Cheney in heels” and calls for NBC HOSTS to be replaced by Tucker Carlson, Joe Rogan and Elon Musk as he steals the spotlight at the third Republican debate

Tensions were high Wednesday as the Republican primary debate began, with candidates attacking Donald Trump, RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and the moderators.

Vivek Ramaswamy attacked NBC News anchors Lester Holt and Kristen Welker and Salem Radio Network’s Hugh Hewitt, saying the hosts should be replaced by former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson, podcast host Joe Rogan and Tesla CEO Elon Musk X, to be replaced.

He also said that stage competitor and former UN ambassador Nikki Haley was like “Dick Cheney in 3-inch heels.”

She later clarified that her heels were actually five inches tall, saying that they were not just for fashion but also for “ammunition.”

‘I’ll tell you, [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and President Xi [Jinping] Their mouths are watering at the thought that someone like that could become president, they would love that [it]” Haley shot back at Ramaswamy during a discussion on foreign policy nearly 30 minutes into the debate.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, meanwhile, used his opening speech at Wednesday’s debate in Miami, Florida, to lash out at former President Trump.

“Donald Trump is a very different guy than he was in 2016,” DeSantis said. He owes it to you to be here and explain why he should be given another chance.’

He blamed the former president for the Republicans’ losses in Tuesday’s elections.

DeSantis, Ramaswamy, Haley, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie took the stage Wednesday night for the third Republican presidential primary debate.

The three leading candidates went at gunpoint on the Republican presidential debate stage Wednesday against Donald Trump, RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, the moderators and each other, with tensions running high from the start.  Pictured from left: Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy

The three leading candidates went at gunpoint on the Republican presidential debate stage Wednesday against Donald Trump, RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, the moderators and each other, with tensions running high from the start. Pictured from left: Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy

Ramaswamy called Haley “Dick Cheney in 3-inch heels.”  She later clarified that her heels were actually five inches high and said they were used as

Ramaswamy called Haley “Dick Cheney in 3-inch heels.” She later clarified that her heels were actually five inches high and said they were used as “ammunition.”

The increasingly thin field of participants has candidates – and viewers – optimistically hoping for a more thoughtful debate, but that wasn’t the case from the start.

Haley echoed DeSantis’ views on Trump, claiming he was “the right president at the right time.”

But the most explosive comments came from Ramaswamy.

The millionaire biotech entrepreneur challenged Republican National Committee Chairman McDaniel to step on stage and resign – and also called for replacing anchors to increase viewership among regular Americans.

“I think there’s something deeper going on here in the Republican Party, and I’m upset about what happened last night,” Ramaswamy said, pointing to a string of Republican election defeats, including in his home state of Ohio.

“Ultimately, with the cancer of the Republican establishment, we have become a losing party,” he added. “Let’s tell the truth.” “Since Ronna McDaniel took over as RNC chairwoman in 2017, we’ve lost in 2018, 2020, 2022 — not a red wave that never came.”

“If you want to come on stage tonight, Ronna, you want to look the GOP voters in the eye and tell them you’re resigning, I’m giving you my time,” he ventured.

In his first statements from the stage on Wednesday, he continued: “Think about who is moderating this debate.” That would probably be Tucker Carlson, Joe Rogen and Elon Musk. “We would have ten times the number of spectators.”

“And we have the Democrats and we have Kristen Welker here.” Do you think the Democrats would actually hire Greg Gutfeld to moderate a Democratic debate? They wouldn’t do it.’

“Kristen – I will take advantage of this time because this is about you in the media and the corrupt media establishment, you ask – the Trump-Russia collusion hoax that you have been spreading on this network for years was so real or made Hillary Clinton .” – Disinformation? Answer the question. “Go,” he demanded.

The NBC News anchor didn’t have a chance to respond as the audience applauded and cheered.

Ramaswamy said the media manipulated the 2016 and 2020 elections.

Five candidates took the stage on Wednesday evening for the third debate in the thinnest field of participants so far in the 2024 primaries. Pictured from left: Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott

Five candidates took the stage on Wednesday evening for the third debate in the thinnest field of participants so far in the 2024 primaries. Pictured from left: Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott

The campaigns threw the first punches ahead of the debate this week, announcing a fierce showdown between DeSantis and Haley, who are tied in some key primary states like Iowa and vying for the spot as Donald Trump’s top rival.

The former president, meanwhile, is out in Hialeah, Florida, holding a rally for his supporters who still believe he is the only Republican who can win in 2024.

Ramaswamy expects attacks like those in the first two debates – but hopes for a “more substantive, more natural and more thoughtful discussion” with the smaller field of participants.

“I think being limited to five people will be a little more useful than seven kids talking about me on stage at the last first debates.” “Certainly the second one – the second one was completely useless,” Ramaswamy told reporters after a late-night pre-debate party in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood on Tuesday.

“With the field thinned out, I hope to be able to make better use of tomorrow’s stage than in the past,” he added.

DeSantis has the home field advantage, but the downside is that he has certainly faced harsher criticism than other candidates traveling to the Sunshine State — particularly from Democrats and Trump supporters.

Florida’s governor is looking to gain momentum after Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds endorsed him in her crucial primary race.

The third Republican primary debate will be broadcast live from the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Miami, Florida. It started at 8:00 pm EST and ends at 10:00 pm.

Viewers can watch the event on NBC News and also stream it live on anti-censorship YouTube alternative Rumble and NBC News NOW.

The event is co-hosted by NBC News, Salem Radio Network, the Republican Jewish Coalition and Rumble.

The trio of hosts includes NBC’s Lester Holt, NBC’s Kristen Welker and conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt of Salem Radio Network.

As usual, the Republican National Committee (RNC) approves the debate and has set the qualification rules – as well as acting as the body that determines which candidates have met those thresholds.

Many of Donald Trump's usual supporters who demonstrated at the debates were absent because the former president was holding a rally just 30 minutes away in Hialeah, Florida.  Pictured: Protesters outside the debate site in Miami on Wednesday hold up a sign that reads

Many of Donald Trump’s usual supporters who demonstrated at the debates were absent because the former president was holding a rally just 30 minutes away in Hialeah, Florida. Pictured: Protesters outside the debate site in Miami on Wednesday hold up a sign that reads “Trump or World War III.”

The RNC is also determining the debate lineup based on polls and announced the official qualifying rounds on Monday.

DeSantis took center stage – as he had done in every debate so far – and was flanked by Haley and Ramaswamy, with Scott and Christie rounding out the end.

Only six candidates met the donor and voting criteria to participate in the third debate, as qualifications become more stringent as the campaign progresses and candidates withdraw their candidacy. And only five signed the pledge required for the debate.

Between the last debate and today, former Vice President Mike Pence, who appeared on stage at the first debate in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and the second debate in Simi Valley, California, withdrew from the primary.

There were eight candidates in the first debate in August, but there were only seven candidates in the second debate after former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson failed to meet donor and state thresholds.

The third event shrank to just five candidates.

By Monday, November 6, candidates needed to attract 70,000 individual donors, including 200 from at least 20 different states.

In polls, the candidates had to reach 4 percent in two different national polls.

Alternatively, candidates could reach 4 percent in just one statewide poll, as well as 4 percent in two separate statewide polls in two of the four early primary states – Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina.

Candidates must still sign the “Pledge of Allegiance,” a new qualification the RNC introduced this year that requires candidates to commit to supporting the eventual 2024 GOP nominee, in order to participate in the debates.

The pledge also bars any candidates who sign it from participating in non-RNC-sanctioned debates for the remainder of the 2024 election cycle.

Trump has refused to sign the pledge – one of the many reasons he has refused to attend the debates so far.

He has repeatedly said that he would not participate in the primary debates because the events were beneath him – and he may have a point. The ex-president remains well ahead of the rest of the primary field, consistently polling dozens of points ahead of any runner-up, which is usually Gov. DeSantis.

Instead, he has urged his 2024 GOP rivals to drop out of the race and support his bid.

Trump’s rally in Hialeah, Florida, is about 15 miles from the debate stage and less than 30 minutes’ drive from downtown Miami. It started an hour before the debate.

During the first debate in August, Trump’s taped interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson began airing exactly five minutes before his rivals took the stage in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Then, during the September debate, Trump spoke to auto workers in Detroit, Michigan, amid strikes resulting from ongoing negotiations between auto industry companies and the United Automobile Workers (UAW) union.

Meanwhile, the former president’s rivals debated on stage at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.

1699494154 24 Vivek Ramaswamy calls Nikki Haley Dick Cheney in heels and

Republican candidates have repeatedly expressed extreme distaste for Trump’s rejection of the debates – and confronted him on stage.

Former Gov. Christie said in California that “Donald” evaded the debates because he was “afraid” to compete on an equal footing with the rest of the field. And DeSantis said Trump doesn’t want to be forced to confront his record in front of the American people.

At the second debate in September, DeSantis said, “Donald Trump is missing in action. “He should be on this stage tonight.”

After qualifying for the previous two debates, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum failed to meet the statewide election requirements to participate in the third debate.

Governor Hutchinson was on stage at the first debate, but was the only candidate to qualify for the first debate but not the second. He is still not out of the competition despite failing to make the most recent debate.

Ryan Binkley, who has not yet qualified for a debate, is still in the running.

Miami Mayor Frances Suarez, Pence, Elder, Johnson, Hurd and former Montana Secretary of State Corey Stapleton have all dropped out of the race so far.

Conservative radio host Larry Elder and author Perry Johnson both dropped out of the race and endorsed Trump.

Former U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, who also ran once, supported Haley when he dropped his presidential campaign. Pence and Suarez have not yet said who they are supporting for 2024 after their exit.