Immigration, economy, health…: The seven Republican candidates for the 2024 US presidential election competed in a new televised debate on Wednesday, with Donald Trump, the big favorite of the primaries and the big absentee in the primaries, making special remarks that evening .
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“Donald, I know you’re watching us,” former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said, pointing his finger at the camera. “You are not here tonight, not because of the polls, not because of your accusations, but because you are afraid,” he assured.
The former president decided to reject this transfer, an important step in the long road to the White House, since, in his opinion, he had a very large lead in the Republican opinion polls.
Instead, the septuagenarian is in Michigan at the same time as the debate to woo the working-class electorate that his Democratic rival, President Joe Biden, appealed to on Tuesday.
On August 23, the day of the first debate, Donald Trump played spoilsport by deliberately giving an interview on social networks at the same time.
In the arguments, which often resulted in cacophony, the candidates also focused on economic issues and extensively criticized the record of the Democratic president they want to oust from the White House.
“Joe Biden’s climate policy is good for Beijing, terrible for Detroit,” criticized former Vice President Mike Pence.
DeSantis’ downfall
As in the first broadcast, the former president shocked the debate with his absence. But this time his rivals held back much less.
“Donald Trump is missing,” said Ron DeSantis, who was viewed by some conservatives as the next generation of the Republican Party but whose rating in opinion polls has plummeted.
AFP
The Florida governor, who stood out for his shocking positions on abortion, LGBT+ issues and immigration, is now more than 40 points behind Donald Trump, according to poll aggregator RealClearPolitics.
That’s the paradox: four months before the first primaries, Donald Trump, who has been criminally charged four times, continues to crush all competition while still benefiting from the massive support of his red-hatted supporters.
Trump-Biden duel in Michigan
The Republican billionaire says he is already planning for a possible rerun of the 2020 election and is devoting the vast majority of his attacks to Joe Biden, the octogenarian presidential candidate for re-election in November 2024.
The Democratic leader made the priority clear by appearing arm-in-arm with union leaders in Michigan on Tuesday to support a strike demonstration by auto workers.
“Joe Biden claims to be the most pro-union president in history. “It’s absurd,” shouted Donald Trump on Wednesday evening from a parts factory in a Detroit suburb.
The Republican strongly criticized the environmental policy of his successor, who promised to reindustrialize the former automobile stronghold through the development of electric cars.
Michigan, which borders Canada, caused a surprise by electing Donald Trump in 2016 over Hillary Clinton. It will be one of the most hotly contested states in the 2024 presidential election.