The third Republican debate over the candidates for the presidential primary revolved around foreign policy as the protagonist, but also revolved partly around former President Donald Trump, the favorite for the nomination. Unlike other occasions where the former president was barely mentioned until well into the debate, the moderators were smart enough to ask about him first. And the candidates, starting with Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley, have decided to continue the attack against the former president, as they did in the second debate. The strategy of delaying and limiting criticism has not worked for them so far. It remains to be seen whether the change will be good for them.
The debate was scheduled for the day after a partial election in which Democrats won key victories in Iowa, Kentucky and Virginia, prompting candidates to criticize the party’s current state. When asked why Trump supporters should turn their backs on the former president and support him, DeSantis, Haley and Christie went straight to attack.
“If you look at where we are now, it’s a lot different than it was in 2016, and Donald Trump is a very different guy than he was in 2016,” DeSantis said. “It’s up to you to stand on that stage and explain why he should be given another chance. He should explain why he didn’t let Mexico pay for the border wall. You should explain why you have accumulated so much debt. Should explain why he didn’t drain the swamp [una referencia a la corrupción y burocracia de Washington] and said Republicans were tired of winning. We’ve already seen what happened last night. I’m tired of the Republicans losing. Here in Florida I showed how it’s done a year ago,” he added, recalling his spectacular result in the re-election as governor.
Haley started with diplomacy, but quickly went for the jugular. “I think he was the right president at the right time. I don’t think he’s the right president now. He put us $8 billion in debt and our children will never forgive us. I think he used to be right about Ukraine and foreign policy, and now he’s getting weak in the knees and trying to be friendly again. I think we need to return to the fact that we cannot live in the past. We can’t live with other headlines. We must focus on what will make America strong and proud. And that’s what I’m focused on,” she said.
Trumpist Vivek Ramaswamy avoided a direct attack on the president, but instead attacked the party apparatus and the media. “We have become a party of losers,” he said before one of his bank resignations, in which he said the debate moderators should be extremist Tucker Carlson and businessman Elon Musk.
For his part, Chris Christie said that Trump will focus more on his problems in court next year. In his case, he’s been attacking the former president since the first debate, so it wasn’t big news. Rather, he was more reserved this time. Tim Scott, on the other hand, avoided open criticism of the former president, but once again became vague.
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Unified support for Israel
The debate immediately turned to foreign policy, which took up much of the time. Candidates competed to see who was most critical of Hamas and most supportive of Israel. They also criticized Biden for his crisis management and for denouncing Islamophobia. They have focused their attacks on the anti-Semitism they see on campuses (“jihad,” as DeSantis has come to call it).
Ramaswamy is once again on a different page: “Do you want a leader of a different generation who will put this country first?” Or do you want Dick Cheney in four-inch heels? “In this case, we have two of them on stage tonight,” Ramaswamy said, referring to what seemed like an attack on Haley and DeSantis by the former vice president, who reportedly wore risers on his shoes to appear taller. Haley fumed: “Those are 6-inch heels and I don’t wear them unless I can walk in them. They’re not fashion, they’re ammunition.” And then he used a question about Ukraine, in which Ramaswamy spoke out against sending more aid to Kiev, to hit back: “Putin and Xi are running at the idea of this guy becoming president, mouth watering. “They would love it,” he said.
“You’re nothing but scum.”
Haley and Christie have shown themselves to be most supportive of the foreign policy importance of the United States as the leader of the free world. DeSantis avoided commenting on support for Ukraine after his attack on Hamas, saying he would not send troops there but to the border with Mexico. Ramaswamy has emerged as a representative of the isolationist wing of the party.
But everyone agrees that China is the major geostrategic threat to the United States, even though they have attacked each other for being too soft on the Asian power in the past. Several candidates have expressed willingness to ban TikTok, the Chinese social network. But even that helped bring Haley and Ramaswamy to task. The businessman said: “[Haley] made fun of me for joining Tik Tok. “His own daughter used the app.” Haley replied angrily, “Don’t mention my daughter. “You’re nothing but scum.”
[Noticia de última hora. Habrá ampliación en breve]
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