Trump’s rivals clash at debate but do little to dent his lead in US race
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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (centre) in the middle of a heated clash between fellow presidential candidates Nikki Haley (left) and Vivek Ramaswamy.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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MIAMI – For the third time, Donald Trump’s rivals for the Republican presidential nomination took to the debate stage on Wednesday night in his absence, seeking a way to dislodge the former president from his commanding lead in opinion polls.
While contenders such as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley briefly criticised Trump, the latest episode did not appear any likelier to alter the dynamics of a race that Trump has dominated for months.
The candidates spent much of the two-hour event assailing one another as they strove to emerge as Trump’s chief opponent, with less than 10 weeks before the first statewide nominating contest in Iowa. They will have one more opportunity on Dec 6, when a fourth debate will take place in Alabama.
For his part, Trump held a rival event nearby, where he mocked the participants and demanded that the Republican Party stop “wasting time” with “unwatchable” debates.
With only five candidates qualifying for the stage – Mr DeSantis and Ms Haley were joined by United States Senator Tim Scott, former New Jersey governor Chris Christie and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy – it was less chaotic than previous encounters.
But it still had its share of cutting exchanges.
At one point during a discussion about whether to ban TikTok, Mr Ramaswamy noted that Ms Haley’s daughter has used the app, prompting Ms Haley to warn him angrily not to mention her daughter again.
“You’re just scum,” she muttered.
Ms Haley, who also served as South Carolina governor, and Mr DeSantis, who has been in a distant second place behind Trump for most of the campaign, had their own clash over which governor has been too welcoming to Chinese investment.
Recent polls have shown the two jockeying for second place in early voting states.
Most of the candidates voiced support for banning TikTok, owned by a Chinese company, over national security concerns – even Mr Ramaswamy, who has defended using the app as a way to connect with young Republican voters.
Backing Israel
The debate opened with moderators asking the candidates to explain why they should be the party’s standard-bearer rather than Trump, giving them a chance to make their case directly to voters watching at home.
Mr DeSantis criticised Trump for skipping the event, which took place in their shared home state of Florida, and suggested that the party’s poor showing in Tuesday’s off-year elections should be laid at Trump’s feet
“He said Republicans were gonna get tired of winning,” he said. “Well, we saw last night – I’m sick of Republicans losing!”
Ms Haley offered a more muted critique.
“Everybody wants to talk about president Trump. I can tell you that I think he was the right president at the right time,” she said. “I don’t think he’s the right president now.”
Trump, 77, has done his best to deny his rivals a direct target, instead focusing on what he expects to be a rematch with President Joe Biden, 80, on Nov 5, 2024.
As Wednesday’s debate proceeded, the candidates largely avoided attacking Trump, whose hold on Republican voters has proven unshakable even in the face of his multiple indictments.
Instead, they trained their fire on Mr Biden the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Former president Donald Trump held a separate rally where he demanded that the Republican Party end the “unwatchable” debates.
PHOTO: AFP
The candidates were asked what message they would send to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“I will be telling Bibi: Finish the job once and for all with these butchers Hamas. They’re terrorists,” Mr DeSantis said, using Mr Netanyahu’s nickname.
Ms Haley, who has staked much of her candidacy on her foreign policy credentials, faulted Mr Biden for pressing Israel to consider humanitarian pauses.
“The last thing we need to do is to tell Israel what to do,” she said. “The only thing we should be doing is supporting them and eliminating Hamas.”
In addition to pushing for a more muscular response abroad, the candidates vowed to punish Hamas sympathisers at home.
Mr DeSantis, for instance, promised to deport any students who expressed support for Hamas.
“If you are here on a student visa as a foreign national and you’re making common cause with Hamas, I’m cancelling your visa and I’m sending you home,” he said. “No questions asked.”
Abortion and the economy
A day after Democrats and abortion rights groups swept to victory in several state elections, the Republicans sought to formulate a winning message on an issue that has bedevilled the party since the conservative-led US Supreme Court in 2022 eliminated a nationwide right to abortion
Mr Scott said he would support a federal 15-week ban, while Ms Haley noted that any such legislation has essentially no chance of passing the closely divided US Senate.
Mr DeSantis – who signed a six-week ban into law in 2023 – did not address a federal law but said he stood for a “culture of life”.
The candidates attacked Mr Biden over his stewardship of the economy, arguing that his focus on climate change has slowed growth.
Ms Haley and Mr Christie said they would raise the retirement age for Social Security benefits for younger workers to help keep the programme solvent, while Mr Scott and Mr DeSantis said they would not do so.
Polls show that voters are unhappy with Mr Biden’s economic record, despite the fact that inflation has slowed considerably and fears of a recession have faded amid continued economic growth.
Mr Biden’s approval rating slipped under 40 per cent in the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, his lowest mark since April. REUTERS
