One candidate in particular drew fire.
We’d say the gloves came off, but the Republican presidential debates haven’t exactly been muted so far, have they? Here’s what when down when South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy took to the stage for the fourth time last night.
Trump comes up at last
The candidates have previously tended not to focus much on Donald Trump, who steered clear of the debate yet again. This time however, the subject was unavoidable.
“I think in one of the first debates they took an hour for anybody to even say his name, which is ridiculous. He’s the person they all have to beat. You’re not running against Joe Biden right now, candidates, you’re running against Donald Trump,” NewsNation’s Elizabeth Vargas told Politico before the action kicked off.
Christie called him “a bully” and a “dictator,” adding that: “This is an angry, bitter man who now wants to be back as president because he wants to exact retribution on anyone who disagrees with him, and anyone who has tried to hold him to account.”
Christie pushed DeSantis to say whether he thought the former president was fit for office. “We should not nominate someone who is almost 80 years old,” DeSantis replied at last.
Haley becomes a target
Haley’s recent success in the polls was reflected in the number of shots taken at her. Ramaswamy called her “lipstick on a Dick Cheney,” while DeSantis said she “caves every time the left comes after her.” Haley seemed to handle the heat pretty comfortably. She referred to her recent backing by the group Americans for Prosperity — which DeSantis’ team has courted in the past — saying: “They’re just jealous, they wish that they were supporting them.”
DeSantis also came at Haley over transgender rights, positioning her as weak in the face of the left’s “woke” agenda.
“I did a bill in Florida to stop the gender mutilation of minors,” DeSantis said. “She opposes that bill. She thinks it’s fine, and the law shouldn’t get involved with it.”
Haley’s previously said that the law should “stay out of” the issue of gender-affirming care for children. In May, she said: “You shouldn’t allow a child to have a gender-changing procedure until the age of 18 when they are an adult and they can make that decision. But we shouldn’t have taxpayer dollars ever going to that.”
In June, she made it clear that she didn’t support transitioning for minors, stressing: “This is a job for the parents to handle, and then when that child turns 18, if they want to make more of a permanent change, they can do that.”
Ramaswamy took Haley to task over foreign policy, but Christie stepped in to defend her, saying: “We disagree about some issues, and we disagree about who should be president of the United States, but we don’t disagree on this: This is a smart accomplished woman.”
Haley mouthed “thank you” at Christie.
Ramaswamy hit back, saying Christie’s “version of foreign policy experience was closing a bridge from New Jersey to New York.”
“So do everybody a favor, just walk yourself off that stage, enjoy a nice meal and get the hell out of this race.”
Ramaswamy unleashes his conspiracy theories
Ramaswamy reaffirmed his position as the representative for the most extreme right-wing end of the Republican party. He claimed that the 2020 election was “stolen by Big Tech,” adding that the Capitol insurrection was “an inside job.” He also claimed the 2020 election was “stolen by Big Tech,” and looking further back, asserted that the government has “lied to us for 20 years” about Saudi Arabia’s part in September 11.
Perhaps most disturbing, Ramaswamy also gave a shout-out to the “great replacement” theory. He said it’s “not some grand right-wing conspiracy theory, but a basic statement of the Democratic Party platform.” The racist theory falsely alleges that white Americans are being deliberately “replaced” by people of color.
He said the biggest threat to the United States is “the deep state that at least Donald Trump attempted to take on.”
Christie said Ramaswamy was “learning about the provinces sitting with this smart-a** mouth at Harvard” while he was taking on terrorists.
