Wednesday night’s GOP debate proved to be policy-heavy as well as entertaining despite feeling somewhat futile due to the absence of the clear frontrunner.
Moderator Megyn Kelly wasted no time getting to the heart of the matter as she opened the debate with a question for Governor Ron DeSantis on how he could bridge the considerable gap in the polls between himself and former President Trump. DeSantis responded by dismissing the polls as unreliable predictors and immediately projected a more assertive tone regarding his prospects for victory. He then pivoted to criticizing his closest competitor, former South Carolina Governor and U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, by questioning her commitment to fighting for the American people.
Kelly followed up on the criticism by inquiring whether Haley’s ties to billionaires and corporations would compromise her ability to be a president who is solely accountable to the people. Haley defended her track record and the support she has received from billionaires – specifically the Koch Brothers’ foundation, Americans for Prosperity.
Vivek Ramaswamy also aimed his fire at Ambassador Haley, accusing her of corruption, which he described as her being “bought and paid for” by corporations such as BlackRock. Haley responded to these accusations by defending her donors and explaining her prior role at Boeing, which she briefly sat on the board of following her tenure at the U.N.
DeSantis and Ramaswamy also spent time berating Haley for her supposed support for requiring users to provide identification in order to post on social media sites. Haley looked uncomfortable during this spat, and indicated that she wanted to move on to the next topic.
Chris Christie finally entered the action around 25 minutes in, immediately condemning Donald Trump for not “having the guts” to show up and accusing the former president of being a “dictator.”
As the debate turned to the topic of foreign policy, Ramaswamy once again attacked Haley as being a warmonger despite having rather hawkish positions himself. For example, when asked whether he, as president, would defend Taiwan from Chinese incursion, he emphatically answered in the affirmative. He explained that if the Chinese gained control of the island, they could further advance into the Asia-Pacific region, thus increasing their power and influence around the globe. Of course, as critics have noted, this reasoning could also be applied to supporting Ukraine in its effort to repel the Russian invasion, being that Vladimir Putin would be unlikely to stop at capturing Ukraine, but rather, being rid of a buffer state, would presumably advance towards Poland with the objective of acquiring other Baltic states. Nevertheless, Ramaswamy is on record opposing further U.S. involvement in the Ukraine war.
Christie and Ramaswamy concluded the first portion of the debate with a fiery exchange in which Christie labeled the biotech millionaire “The most obnoxious blowhard in America.” The former New Jersey governor subsequently defended Nikki Haley and criticized the tenor of the debate.
However, a question regarding gender transition surgeries for minors illustrated the chasm between Chris Christie and the rest of the field. When questioned as to whether his stance against a ban on such surgeries puts him at odds with Republican primary voters, Christie defended his position, saying, “You look at these jokers down in Congress. It takes them three weeks to pick a speaker…And we’re going to put my children’s health and my decisions in their hands?” He elaborated, “And every parent out there who’s watching tonight, you start to turn over just a little bit of this authority—the authority they’re going to take away from you next, you’re not going to like. I’ll stand up for parents each and every time.” The remaining three candidates oppose the availability of these surgeries for minors altogether.
On the topics of the U.S. southern border, the fentanyl crisis, and combating China, the candidates remained in relative lockstep.
The final spat of the night came when moderators questioned the group on Donald Trump’s fitness for another term. In his trademark bulldog fashion, Christie lashed out at DeSantis for evading the question, contrasting the Florida governor’s response with his own straightforward approach.
While viewers of the debate witnessed the four remaining GOP candidates jockey for a slight advantage over one another, Trump spent his evening at a private fundraiser, enjoying a comfortable 47-point lead. At the end of the day, this debate will likely not move the needle much in favor of any single candidate – it was all bark and no bite.
