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The last debate of the Republican Party before the official start of the primaries in the United States largely spared the protagonist of the party, Donald Trump, the leader in the polls and not present at the event this Wednesday (10) in Iowa. Only primary candidates Ron DeSantis, governor of Florida, and Nikki Haley, former governor of South Carolina, took part.
The event differed from other moments in the campaign, such as the party's second debate in September, which was marked by harsher attacks against the former president as the businessman solidified his lead in the race. Until that point, an important section of Republicans, including DeSantis, had avoided directly criticizing the businessman, as happened this Wednesday.
On more than one occasion, both Haley and DeSantis expressed their approval of Trump's policies. The former South Carolina governor said she disagreed with the electorate's governance but that he was “the right president at the right time”; Florida's governor said he “appreciated what Trump did” despite claiming he promised a wall on the border with Mexico and didn't build it.
However, in the final part of the debate, the candidates had to answer a question about the differences between themselves and Trump in terms of their vision of the country's constitution.
Haley explained that January 6, 2021, a reference to the invasion of the American Congress by supporters enraged by the former president, was a terrible day. Violations of the Constitution would be authorities forcing people into lockdown during the Covid19 pandemic .
When asked whether they agree with the argument of Trump's defense in the cases against him, according to which presidents should enjoy immunity for crimes unless they are indicted, Hayley completely disagreed. The businessman's nomination for the presidential election could become a problem.
Throughout the show, however, the two primarily tried to position themselves as the only contenders who could compete with the former president in the primaries by jumping into speeches and accusing each other of lying.
Haley stated in more than one response that Trump should attend the debate to discuss the issue in question and posted a website several times highlighting DeSantis' lies.
The Florida governor tried to equate the candidate with the actions of the Democrats and link her to the interests of campaign donors. He also said Trump should attend the debate and, in one of the few moments of direct criticism of the former president, said he needed to explain the rise in the country's debt during his time in office.
Haley saved more explicit opposition to the businessman for the final considerations when she said, alluding to a second Trump term, that the country doesn't need “another four years of chaos.” DeSantis, on the other hand, declared at the end that Trump was running “for his concerns.”
When they agreed on issues that mattered to the Republican electorate, such as tightening illegal immigration laws and confronting China on the global stage, the candidates tried to mark differences of opinion by the way they dealt with all of them would avoid the questions raised by the intermediaries.
To take part in the debate promoted by CNN, it was necessary to reach more than 10% of voting intentions in polls in the state where the city of Des Moines, where the event took place, is located and where both Republicans live and The democratic parties will begin their internal election campaign on Monday (15th).
The minimum percentage is why other candidates in the race, such as businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, have not joined the discussion.
Donald Trump, on the other hand, qualified to take part. He chose not to do so, as he did at all other such events during the campaign including the first Republican debate in August and instead appeared at a side event on the state broadcast of the conservative network Fox News.
Just hours before the event, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, one of Trump's most vocal Republican rivals in the campaign, dropped his candidacy.
Christie made the announcement at an event at Windham City Hall in New Hampshire, the second state in the country to hold a primary, and made the former president's opponents uncomfortable by criticizing them in comments made before his speech recorded with an open microphone. “She’s not up to it,” he said of Haley; “DeSantis called me, [estava] “I’m very scared,” he said of the Florida governor.
Even in his official speech, the former governor did not support any of the other primary candidates, confirming the expectations that had arisen after his behindthescenes speeches that he would not directly help cement Haley or DeSantis in the fight against Trump. clear leader in the polls.
The former president, in turn, took the opportunity to capitalize on the episode by declaring on his social network Truth that the thenopponent's statements were “very true.”
In the debate leading up to this Wednesday, Haley, who had just emerged as the new bet against Trump and was ahead of DeSantis in the polls, was the favored target of party rivals. However, she was unable to use the attacks to consolidate her position and performed poorly.
The third event focused primarily on American foreign policy, particularly the conflict between Hamas and Israel, a U.S. ally that has received financial and military aid from Washington. The current president, Democrat Joe Biden, was rated as “weak” by Republican primary candidates at the time.