PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFULS VOW TO BACK ISRAEL
Third Republican debate focuses heavily on policy
In their first debate since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, the Republican presidential candidates all declared hawkish support for Israel but squabbled over China and Ukraine as they faced growing pressure to try to catch Donald Trump, who was again absent.
Sparring over several issues were Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley, who has appeared competitive with DeSantis’ distant second-place position in some national polls. Much of the debate focused on policy — especially foreign policy issues — rather than Trump and his record.
Haley, the former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador, declared she would end trade relations with China “until they stop murdering Americans from fentanyl — something Ron has yet to say that he’s going to do.” In return, the Florida governor said Haley “welcomed” Chinese investment to her state, referencing a land deal with a Chinese manufacturer while she led South Carolina.
All five candidates face growing urgency, with the leadoff Iowa caucuses just a little more than two months away, to cut into Trump’s huge margins in the 2024 primary and establish themselves as a viable alternative.
Trump was the subject of the debate’s first question, when moderators asked each candidate to explain why they were the right person to beat him.
DeSantis said, “He owes it to you to be on this stage and explain why he should get another chance.” He suggested Trump had lost a step since winning the White House in 2016, saying he failed to follow through on his “America First” policies.
Haley, who is pulling some voter and donor curiosity from DeSantis, said Trump “used to be right” on supporting Ukraine but “now he’s getting weak in the knees.”
But the conversation moved on to policy issues with relatively few head-tohead confrontations. The moderators often declined to call on candidates who were mentioned by others onstage, as is normally the custom.
The DeSantis and Haley campaigns for months have attacked each other on China, long a topic of scorn in GOP primaries. Their allied super PACs have run ads in early primary states alleging the other side is soft on Beijing.
Abortion was also a topic of the debate after Democrats and abortion rights supporters won several statewide races in Tuesday’s elections.
DeSantis, who signed a six-week abortion ban in Florida, said anti-abortion activists were “flat-footed” in mobilizing and noted that people who voted for the measures included Republicans who have previously supported GOP candidates.
Haley, long credited by anti-abortion group leaders for how she talks about the issue, said Republicans need to acknowledge they don’t have the votes in Congress to pass a national abortion ban but should instead work to find some consensus to “ban lateterm abortions,” make contraception available and ensure that states don’t pass laws that punish women for getting abortions.
Also appearing onstage Wednesday were South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
Scott frequently referenced the Bible and appealed to the Christian faith of many Republican primary voters, echoing his campaign themes and his singular focus on Iowa, where White evangelical voters are an influential bloc.
Christie defended U.S. support for Ukraine in its defense against Russia’s invasion, saying that for the U.S.: “This is not a choice. This is the price we pay for being the leaders of the free world.”
Ramaswamy tried several times to push his way into the center of the debate. Having long styled himself as someone willing to challenge his rivals, Ramaswamy repeatedly went after other candidates, notably Haley.
Haley seemed to ignore his first barbs, but snapped during a discussion about the social media app TikTok, which many Republicans want banned in the U.S. due to its parent company’s ties to China.
Ramaswamy accused Haley’s daughter of having had her own TikTok account until recently. Responded Haley, “Leave my daughter out of your voice!” She then told him, “You’re just scum.”
All the candidates said they were staunchly behind Israel as it mounts an offensive in Gaza following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack that killed more than 1,400 people. The candidates did not discuss humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza, where more than 10,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza.
Several also said they would pressure college campuses to crack down on antisemitism.