Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy, Nikki Haley, Tim Scott and Chris Christie qualified for the third Republican debate. After the first two debates in August and September, the GOP presidential candidates met in Miami (Florida), hoping to take advantage of Donald Trump's absence to narrow the former president's lead in the polls.
The third debate was more similar to the first than the second, with a more significant number of attacks between the candidates, mainly between Haley and Ramaswamy, who again made it clear that they do not appreciate each other's ideas much. They did not even greet each other at the end of the event.
Regarding the differences with the previous debate filmed at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Mike Pence and Doug Burgum will not participate. The former because he abandoned his candidacy and the latter because he failed to meet the requirements established by the Republican National Committee (RNC) to get on stage:
- At least 70,000 unique donors.
- Achieve at least 4% voter turnout in two national polls or one national poll and one early state poll meeting RNC polling requirements.
- Sign the commitment to support the eventual Republican nominee.
The third Republican debate
The first slogan of the debate had a first and last name: Donald Trump. The first to respond was Ron DeSantis, who criticized the former president's administration for breaking his word and demanding explanations.
Specifically, he said that he "did not drain the swamp," that he "increased the national debt," and that he promised that the Republicans "would get tired of winning," which contrasted with the elections of Tuesday, November 7. Seconds later, Nikki Haley called for putting the past behind us and looking forward, earning applause from the audience.
#WATCH | Vivek Ramaswamy: “Do you want a leader from a different generation who's going to put this country first, or do you want Dick Cheney in 3-inch heels? […] in which case we've got two of them on stage tonight.” pic.twitter.com/dRU2KgR0iv
— VOZ (@Voz_US) November 9, 2023
Vivek Ramaswamy didn't mince words, attacking Ronna McDaniel, chair of the RNC, for back-to-back defeats since 2018. "We need accountability," he said, criticizing the organization, claiming that the debate would have a much larger audience if it were moderated by "Tucker Carlson and Joe Rogan." In a new episode of his spat with Haley, he called her "Dick Cheney in three-inch heels."
"Then she becomes a military contractor. She joins the board of Boeing and other companies and now she's a billionaire," he continued.
He also remembered the Trump-Russia collusion story, for which he chastised the moderators for encouraging the topic at the time. The businessman remembered his performance from the first debate, where his confrontational attitude made him one of the winners, according to the polls.
Then it was Christie's turn, who, to the surprise of many, had the lightest words against Trump and harangued for an optimistic future for the country. Scott was true to his inspirational rhetoric and called for "restoring Christian values," naming Ronald Reagan and his famous "shining city on the hill."
#WATCH | Gov. DeSantis: "Donald Trump's a lot different guy than he was in 2016. He owes it to you to be on this stage and explain why he should get another chance."#GOPDebate #Debate2023 pic.twitter.com/RdakAlJ9y3
— VOZ (@Voz_US) November 9, 2023
Israel and Hamas
Lester Holt asked the candidates what advice they would give Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, amid the war against the terrorist group. For the Florida governor, Bibi "cannot live with that threat" next to his country.
Haley recalled her past as ambassador to the United Nations and called for the elimination of Hamas and the return of all hostages. At the same time, she blamed Iran for the current situation in the Middle East and slipped a possible triangulation with Russia and China.
Ramaswamy questioned the neoconservative policies of the past and assured that Netanyahu has the responsibility to defend his borders, as does the United States.
Scott joined DeSantis and Haley in affirming that the Prime Minister of Israel has the right to "wipe Hamas off the map." He also took aim at Joe Biden and indicated that the best way for the U.S. to stop the war was to attack Iran.
To close the topic, the moderators turned to a virtual question from Matthew Brooks, CEO of the Republican Jewish Coalition, who asked the candidates if they supported the use of military force against Iran. According to Haley, we should not go back to another nuclear deal but respond with "force" to make the country "stop."
This time, Brooks had left a second question about anti-Semitism on college campuses. Ramaswamy replied that, while it is a "sad thing to see," it is one more symptom of a "deep cancer in a society that is lost." He disagreed with Haley and DeSantis and said he disagreed with the censorship.
#WATCH | Sen. Tim Scott: "You have to strike in Iran." pic.twitter.com/KGzFhhtYw5
— VOZ (@Voz_US) November 9, 2023
Ukraine
In one of the most talked-about remarks of the evening, Ramaswamy claimed that the situation has "become a disaster," calling Ukraine corrupt and claiming that it is "not a model of democracy," to Scott's astonished gaze. "To frame this as some kind of battle between good and evil: don't believe it," he added.
"I assure you that Putin and President Xi are salivating at the idea that someone like that could become president," responded Haley, who took the floor seconds later.
China and TikTok
"My message to Xi Jinping is this: You will not buy any more land in this country, you will not donate to universities in this country, American companies will not expand into the Chinese market until we play by the same rules, you will be quickly expelled from the World Trade Organization, and you will be held financially accountable for the COVID-19 pandemic. You have unleashed hell on the world. We have to hold you accountable," Ramaswamy said.
The moderators then asked about the role of the famous application in disseminating "Hamas propaganda." For the former governor of New Jersey, TikTok is also very harmful to young people in the United States. In turn, he criticized Trump for not banning it at the time.
Tim Scott called for banning the app and spoke of controlling underage information circulating on social media.
#WATCH | Gov. DeSantis: "I was the first presidential candidate to say if you are here on a student visa as a foreign national, you're making common cause with Hamas, I'm canceling your visa and I'm sending you home."#GOPDebate #Debate2023 pic.twitter.com/bHS2Y9FL2o
— VOZ (@Voz_US) November 9, 2023
"Leave my daughter out of your voice"
In one of the roughest moments of the night, Ramaswamy reminded Haley that her daughter had used TikTok, so he recommended her to "take care of your family first," which provoked the former governor who recommended he to leave her daughter "out of your voice."
Bidenomics
On one of the few issues the candidates agreed on, they tore apart Joe Biden's economic policy one by one, mentioning inflation, the creation of regulations and the energy policy. On the latter point, Haley said it is not enough to be energy independent but to be "energy dominant."
Fentanyl
Scott said the problem is at the "gateways" to the United States, so the country must increase resources to prevent the substances from entering the country.
DeSantis recalled a conversation he had with a father who lost his son to an overdose and criticized Washington DC, for not declaring a national emergency. At the same time, he assured that he would carry out the promise that Trump could not and make Mexico finish the border wall.
To end the problem, Nikki Haley said that we must go to the source and suggested cutting trade relations with China to end the arrival of fentanyl to the southern border.
Republican defeats in Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio
On what the Republican message on abortion should be, DeSantis called for increased work on the pro-life cause in the wake of the election defeats, also criticizing Democrats for their "extreme" agenda of promoting abortion up to the moment of birth.
For her part, Haley ruled out federal law and encouraged a policy that "saves the most babies and protects the most moms." On the contrary, Scott promised to push for a law limiting abortion at the federal level after 15 weeks.
Vivek Ramaswamy used his remarks to criticize Haley and emphasize the results of Ohio, whose voters decided to add abortion rights to their constitution.
