Seven Republican presidential candidates clashed over the economy, energy, China and each other’s past policy stances in Wednesday night’s second 2024 primary debate, trying to find an opportunity to challenge fading frontrunner Donald Duck — er, former President Donald Trump.
“We’re not getting a mulligan on the 2024 election,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said at one point, suggesting a successful GOP ticket would focus on fixing the economy, securing the border and focusing on “the growing threat from China.”
But Trump, 77, remains the elephant in the room for the candidate, a fact prompted by former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie staring down the barrel of TV cameras and calling him “Donald Duck” for skipping a second debate invitation.
“Donald, I know you’re watching, you can’t help it,” Christie said. “You are not here tonight, not because of the polls, and not because of your allegations. You’re not here tonight because you’re afraid to be on stage and defend your record. You avoid this, and let me tell you what will happen. If you keep doing that, no one here will ever call you Donald Trump again. We’ll call you Donald Duck.”
Republican presidential nominee (LR), former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy participate in the FOX Business Republican Primary Debate on September 27, 2023. Getty Images
DeSantis, Christie, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum focused on their success as state leaders, while former Vice President Mike Pence and Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) noted their experiences as leaders in Washington, DC.
Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, the only outsider, again drew criticism from other candidates, claiming to be Trump’s political heir.
“I think Trump is a very good president. But the America First agenda does not belong to one person,” he said. “It’s not Donald Trump’s. It’s not mine. It belongs to you, the people of this country.”
Republican presidential nominee (LR), former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy and US Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) participate in the FOX Business Republican Primary Debate. Getty Images
The case against ‘Bidenomics’ — and China
The candidate unanimously blamed Biden for members of the United Auto Workers who dismissed concerns that the shift to electric vehicles would destroy their workforce.
Pence kicked things off with a response to the president’s decision to stand in solidarity with the union workers, drawing a muted response from the audience when he said Biden “is in the unemployment line” before rising again.
“While the union bosses are talking about class warfare and talking about the pay gap, I have to tell you, I really believe that what drives it is that Bidenomics is failing,” he said.
Former President Trump was the elephant in the room at the presidential primary debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif, on September 27, 2023. Getty Images
The former Indiana governor continued to tout his record of bringing manufacturing jobs back to Hoosiers and echoed GOP calls to repeal the Biden administration’s push for green energy alternatives that benefit China.
“Joe Biden’s Green New Deal agenda is good for Beijing — and bad for Detroit,” Pence said.
“Why are those workers actually there? This is because all the spending he has done in the economy has increased inflation,” Haley said.
Vivek Ramaswamy reacts during the second Republican presidential primary debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif, on September 27, 2023. AFP via Getty Images
Ramaswamy blasted Biden for “disadvantaging economic policies” and called on striking auto workers in Detroit to “picket in front of the White House.”
“What we need is to deliver economic growth in this country,” he said, before listing the proposals he has championed as part of his campaign to “unlock American energy.”
“Drill, frack, burn coal, accept nuclear power,” Ramaswamy said. “Put people back to work by no longer paying them more money to stay home.”
Candidate blames Biden on United Auto Workers strike over electric vehicle concerns. AFP via Getty Images
Burgum also saw the opening and supported the moderator to deliver a very detailed response.
“The reason why people are paying attention in Detroit is because of Joe Biden’s meddling with the capital markets and with the free market,” he said, saying the president “subsidized electric vehicles” with taxpayer money and used it to buy batteries using rare earth minerals from China.
“They’re literally destroying the planet so they can make the batteries that are in the subsidized cars here,” Burgum added. “That’s why they’re on strike, because they need two-thirds less workers to build electric cars.”
Still others see the question as an opening to address out-of-control spending under Biden’s predecessor.
DeSantis and Christie launched their first attacks on Trump in response to questions about the economy under Biden – blaming both presidents for contributing to the national debt as a partial government shutdown looms.
“Where’s Joe Biden? He is completely missing in action from leadership. And you know who else is missing in action? Donald Trump,” DeSantis said, drawing cheers from the audience.
“He should be on this stage tonight. He owes it to you to defend his record, where they added $7.8 trillion to the debt that set the stage for the inflation we have.”
The latter statement prompted Biden to take advantage of the fundraising circuit in northern California, saying in a post on X that he “couldn’t agree more” with DeSantis.
Increasing attacks
The moderators struggled to control the candidates talking to each other and blurted out at several points, with Fox News host Dana Perino once threatening to cut off Burgum’s microphone.
Disagreements on national security issues heated up during an exchange over the social media app TikTok, giving Haley an opportunity to renew her attacks on Ramaswamy from the first debate.
“TikTok is one of the most dangerous social media accounts we can have,” Haley said. “Honestly, every time I hear you I feel a little stupid.”
“They can get your contacts, they can get your financial information, they can get your emails and messages,” he told the audience before turning to tell Ramaswamy: “We can’t trust you.”
Haley also attacked Scott for failing during his time in the Senate to meaningfully reduce the national debt
“I appreciate Tim. We have known each other for a long time, but he has [in the Senate] 12 years and he hasn’t done any of that,” he said in response to a lengthy response from a Palmetto State lawmaker who proposed cutting corporate taxes to lower the unemployment rate.
But Scott responded moments later and said Haley “never saw a federal dollar she didn’t like,” pointing to the gas tax she passed as governor of South Carolina and spent thousands of dollars on expensive curtains for her UN office.
The South Carolina senator also accused Ramaswamy of receiving money from China — and also from an ally of Hunter Biden’s eldest son.
“The people who funded Hunter Biden millions of dollars are your partners too,” Scott said.
“That’s bullshit,” Ramaswamy replied, causing the two to erupt into a back-and-forth that lasted about two minutes.
“When every other CEO expanded into the Chinese market, you know what I did with my first company? We opened a subsidiary in China,” Ramaswamy admitted. “But you know what I do is different from every other company? We got out of there.”
The elephant in the room
Perino closed the debate by noting the significant polling preferences Trump has over the entire Republican primary — and then asked which one of them they would vote to eliminate, causing outrage among the candidates.
“Are you serious?” asked Haley.
DeSantis declined to answer, along with all the other candidates, calling the question “disrespectful.”
The Trump campaign tried to stay above the fray, with senior adviser Chris LaCivita dismissing the debate as “boring and unimportant” and calling on the Republican National Committee to cancel future bouts – including the next set on November 8 in Miami.
“President Trump has a 40- or 50-point lead in the primary and a 10-point lead over Joe Biden in the general election, and it’s clear that President Trump alone can beat Biden,” LaCivita said. “The RNC should immediately end any further primary debates so we can train our attacks on Crooked Joe Biden and stop wasting time and money that will likely drive Biden from the White House.”
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
