Seven Republican presidential candidates faced off in a heated Republican debate at the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley, Calif.
Wednesday evening’s affair featured numerous insults and jabs — lobbed both at one another and at prominent individuals who were not in attendance — as well as plenty of the candidates interrupting one another, with moderators imploring them, at times unsuccessfully, to stay on task.
"Honestly, every time I hear you, I feel a little bit dumber for what you say," former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley said to entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy at one point.
The candidates unsurprisingly took aim at President Joe Biden, while also — somewhat surprisingly for some — taking aim at former President Donald Trump, their fellow GOP challenger who was not in attendance on Wednesday, choosing instead to rally autoworkers in Michigan.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who sits in a distant second place to Trump in the polls, accused the former president of being “missing in action,” while frequent critic Chris Christie gave his onetime ally a new nickname.
“You're ducking these things,” the former New Jersey governor said of the ex-president. “And let me tell you what's going to happen: You keep doing that, no one up here is going to call you Donald Trump anymore. We're going to call you Donald Duck.”
While the first Republican debate was filled with tough topics — like the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and whether the candidates would support a nationwide abortion ban — Wednesday’s largely featured safer topics for the GOP candidates, including border security, energy independence, the economy and education.
In fact, there were no questions on abortion until the last 15 minutes of the debate — and discussion about the procedure, which proved to be a crucial did not last long.
The debate even featured two prominent South Carolinians — Sen. Tim Scott and former Gov. Nikki Haley — arguing over the State Department spending more than $50,000 on curtains for the U.N. ambassador’s residence.
The chaotic nature of the debate was not lost on the campaigns of either of the two frontrunners for each party’s presidential nomination.
“This is a JV debate,” said Biden campaign official Ammar Moussa.
“Tonight’s GOP debate was as boring and inconsequential as the first debate, and nothing that was said will change the dynamics of the primary contest being dominated by President Trump,” said Trump campaign senior advisor Chris LaCivita, adding: “The RNC should immediately put an end to any further primary debates so we can train our fire on Crooked Joe Biden and quit wasting time and money that could be going to evicting Biden from the White House.”
Here are some takeaways from Wednesday's Republican presidential debate:
The elephant in the room Wednesday was the one prominent Republican who wasn’t in the room: Donald Trump. And two of the candidates on stage didn’t miss a chance to remind viewers and the folks in the room of his status.
“Donald Trump, he hides behind the walls of his golf clubs, and won’t show up here to answer questions like all the rest of us are up here, to answer why he put $7 trillion on the debt,” Christie said, during his attack on spending by both the Trump and Biden administrations. “He should be in this room to answer those questions for the people you talk about who are suffering.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis jumped on that thread immediately, first swinging at Biden before setting his sights on Trump.
“Donald Trump is missing in action — he should be on this stage tonight. He owes it to you to defend his record, where they have added $7.8 trillion to the debt — that set the stage for the inflation that we have.”
Later in the debate, Christie pivoted from answering a question about crime in cities to delivering a message to Trump, his onetime friend turned foe.
Christie said law order needs to be restored in cities, suburbs, rural areas and Washington, D.C.
“And Donald Trump should be here to answer for that, but he's not,” Christie said.
Christie then looked directly into the camera and addressed Trump personally.
“Donald, I know you're watching,” Christie said. “You can't help yourself. I know you're watching, OK. And you're not here tonight, not because of polls and not because of your indictments. You're not here tonight because you're afraid of being on the stage and defending your record. You're ducking these things. And let me tell you what's going to happen. You keep doing that, no one up here is going to call you Donald Trump anymore. We're going to call you Donald Duck.”
At the top of Wednesday's debate, several candidates blamed President Biden for the ongoing United Auto Workers strike.
Sen. Scott blasted Congress for including an $86 billion bailout for union pension plans in the American Rescue Plan, passed shortly after Biden took office.
“Do not overpromise and underdeliver and leave the taxpayers on the hook,” he said.
Ramaswamy said he has a lot of sympathy for the workers because he’s been through hardship growing up. But he said autoworkers should instead be protesting “disastrous economic policies” in front of the White House, citing inflation and higher interest and mortgage rates.
Similarly, former Vice President Mike Pence blamed “Bidenomics.”
“Wages are not keeping up with inflation,” he said. “Autoworkers and all American workers are feeling it, and families are struggling in this economy, and Joe Biden's Green New Deal agenda is good for Beijing and bad for Detroit.”
Pence added he supports the right for every American to decide whether they want to join a union or not.
Added former South Carolina Gov. Haley: “Biden showed up on that picket line, but why are those workers actually there? It's because of all of the spending that he has pushed through in the economy that's raised the inflation.”
Meanwhile, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum blamed the president for interfering with the free markets by subsidizing the manufacturing of electric vehicles.
“And the batteries come from China,” he said.
GOP presidential candidates railed against President Joe Biden’s handling of the southern border – an area Republicans often focus on when criticizing the current administration and one that is currently playing a large role is the fight to fund the government.
Haley said Biden “waved the green flag,” leading to an influx of people coming across the border. She argued for “defunding sanctuary cities,” “catch and deport” and a policy put in place under former President often called the “remain in Mexico” policy, which required asylum seekers not from Mexico to wait in the country as they awaited U.S. court dates.
Christie said on his first day as president he would sign an executive order “to send the National Guard to partner with Customs and Border Patrol to make sure that we stop the flow of fentanyl over the border.” Christie, an outspoken Trump critic, also blamed the former president for his handling of the topic.
“Donald Trump failed on this as well. He said he was going to build a wall across the whole border. He built 52 miles of wall,” he said, adding if Trump told Mexico he was only going to build 52 miles, “they might have paid for the 52 miles.”
Ramaswamy said he agreed with the other candidates on “[militarizing] the southern border, stop funding sanctuary cities and end foreign aid to Mexico and Central America,” but added he goes a step further.
“I favor ending birthright citizenship for the kids of illegal immigrants in this country,” Ramaswamy said.
Former Vice President Pence boasted about his record on the issue when serving in the Trump administration and proclaimed “as President of the United States, I can do it again.”
“I negotiated the remain in Mexico policy with the Mexican government. We used economic power to bring the Mexican government to the table,” Pence said.
With government funding set to run out in three days and no clear plan to avert a shutdown currently in sight, many in the House GOP want their border priorities included in any short-term funding fix.
Illegal crossings at the southern border have been on the rise in recent months after a dip earlier this summer following the end of a policy known as Title 42.
Responding to a question about waning Republican support for Ukraine as it repels Russia's invasion, Florida Gov. DeSantis kicked off a spirited debate on the war.
"It's in our interest to end this war and that's what I will do as president," DeSantis said, but pledged: "We are not going to have a blank check" for Ukraine.
"We're going to make the Europeans do what they need to do," he said, alleging that the U.S. has "sent money to pay bureaucrats pensions and salaries and funding small businesses halfway around the world. Meanwhile, our own country is being invaded. We don't even have control of our own territory. We have got to defend the American people."
"It's never been a territorial dispute," Haley shot back at DeSantis.
"Our national vital interest is in degrading the Russian military by degrading the Russian military, we actually keep our homeland safer, we keep our troops at home, and we all understand article five of NATO," Scott added.
"At the end of the day ... if you want to keep American troops at home, an attack on NATO territory would bring us and our troops in," Scott said. "By degrading the Russian military we reduce if not eliminate an attack on NATO territory."
Ramaswamy then attempted to make the case that "just because Putin is an evil dictator does not mean that Ukraine is good," to which Haley interrupted by repeating "a win for Russia is a win for China," and Pence said that not defending Ukraine would give China a green light to invade Taiwan.
Christie took the opportunity to slam Trump for his previous praise of Putin, adding: "This is the person who is murdering people in his own country ... he's now going to Ukraine to murder innocent civilians and kidnap 20,000 children."
"Let me tell you, if you think that's where it's going to stop -- if we give him any of Ukraine, next will be Poland," the former New Jersey governor said, adding that Putin "wants to put the old band back together," referring to the Soviet Union, "and only America can stop it."
Haley and entrepreneur Ramaswamy, who famously sparred at the first Republican presidential debate last month, feuded over popular and increasingly controversial social media app Tik Tok.
The Chinese-owned app is currentlybanned on federal government-issued mobile devices as well as government devices in many U.S. states over concerns about data sharing with the Chinese government.
Ramaswamy was asked about influencer Jake Paul taking credit for getting the presidential candidate on the app. Ramaswamy argued that while he believes children under 16 years old “should not be using addictive social media,” it is a tool to win the election.
“We need to win elections, and part of how we win elections is reaching the next generation of young Americans where they are,” Ramaswamy said.
His comments prompted Haley to jump in and argue Tik Tok “is one of one of the most dangerous” social media apps.
“Honestly every time I hear you, I feel a little bit dumber for what you say,” Haley said to Ramaswamy.
“150 million people are on Tik Tok,” Haley continued, arguing that leaves those users’ contacts, financial information and emails vulnerable.
“We can't trust you. We can’t just you,” Haley shouted at Ramaswamy.
Ramaswamy hit back saying candidates should not be “sitting here hurling personal insults and actually have a legitimate debate about policy.”
Debate moderator Dana Perino pitted the two South Carolina candidates against each other, and the conversation eventually devolved into an argument about curtains.
Yes, curtains.
Perino asked Scott, whom Haley, as South Carolina’s governor, appointed to the Senate in 2013, to explain to Haley why he deserves a promotion to president.
Scott said, if elected, he would try to get a balanced budget amendment passed, grow the economy by creating 10 million jobs — about a third by increasing energy production — and boost American manufacturing.
“I appreciate Tim,” Haley responded. “We've known each other a long time, but he's been there 12 years and he hasn't done any of that.”
She blasted Scott for being part of a Congress that rarely passes budgets and blamed him for contributing to the national debt by voting for new spending.
“Twelve years. Where have you been?” Haley asked. “Where have you been, Tim? Twelve years. We’ve waited, and nothing has happened.”
Scott attempted to respond, but Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis cut him off.
Scott revisited the conversation shortly afterward, prompting Haley to say, “Bring it, Tim.” The senator then accused Haley of asking for a gas tax increase in South Carolina, which she insisted she fought against.
Scott also attacked Haley over $50,000 curtains at a State Department apartment in New York that she used when she was ambassador to the United Nations.
Haley said the curtains were purchased by the Obama administration before she ever lived at the residence. Scott argued she should have sent them back.
Former Vice President Pence stated his plan to “pass a federal expedited death penalty for anyone involved in a mass shooting.”
Currently, two people convicted of involvement in mass shootings sit on federal death row: Robert Bowers, the 46 year old man convicted 63 federal counts related to killing eleven people and wounding six more in a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018; and Dylann Roof, the 29 year old convicted of killing nine Black parishioners at a South Carolina church in 2015. Both were convicted of federal hate crimes.
Pence pointedly included DeSantis, calling it "unconscionable ... that the Parkland shooter is actually going to spend the rest of his life behind bars in Florida," referring to the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
“We have to mete out justice and send a message to these would-be killers that way — you are not going to live out your days behind bars,” he said.
Shortly thereafter — after moderators reiterated a question seeking to determine his plans for the future of the Affordable Care Act — Pence then said he seeks to “revive federalism in America, and states are going to help bring America back.”