Haley has ammunition in the heel, Ramaswamy attacks
Wars, conflicts and this time just a little domestic politics - the third televised US Republican primary debate is full of content and more entertaining than any before it. Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy come to blows several times. Trump plays truant.
When it's over, Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy don't shake hands, don't even look at each other. The two candidates for the US Republican presidential nomination have just been on stage for two hours, repeatedly sniping at each other across Ron DeSantis' lectern. "They're just scum," Haley even says at one point with a mocking smile when Ramaswamy mentions her daughter using TikTok. It's about how the two would deal with China's "spyware" as president.
But this was just one moment in this third debate of the Republican primary campaign, which finally deserved the name. It was all about content; there was hardly any sign of the TV circus of the first two TV debates with far more participants. This was also due to the fact that almost all of the remaining five candidates outlined how they would set the tone in the international war and crisis environment as president in the White House from 2025. There are still two months to go until the Republican primary in Iowa, followed by a month-long ride through all the other states. The presidential election will take place in a year's time.
The almost unassailable favorite for the conservative candidacy is Donald Trump, who is seeking revenge after his election defeat in 2020 and wants to oust Democrat Joe Biden from the White House again. As in the first two debates, Trump did not consider it necessary to show up in Miami. Instead, he insulted his challengers elsewhere in the state of Florida as weak and incompetent. In national polls, the ex-president is ahead with an average of 56.5 percent, followed by Florida Governor DeSantis (13.9 percent), ex-UN Ambassador Nikki Haley (9 percent), New Jersey's ex-Governor Chris Christie (2.9 percent) and Senator Tim Scott (2.2 percent). As there is no US-wide primary, but voting takes place in each state individually, the respective local polls are more meaningful. But even in Iowa, for example, the picture is only marginally different. On average, Trump has 45.6 percent, DeSantis 17.1 percent and Haley 13.9 percent, according to the portal Fivethirtyeight.com .
During the debate, it becomes clear why DeSantis, Haley and Ramaswamy are fighting to at least move into the position behind Trump. Haley has expertise, experience and stature, DeSantis can back up his Trumpian course with successes, and Ramaswamy is the young, fresh outsider who wants to make a splash.
For Ramaswamy, everyone is to blame except Trump
Support for Trump among the party base is strong, which is why the five only half-heartedly dared to criticize the ex-president for his absence at the start of the questions. DeSantis declares that he is tired of always losing and demands Trump's presence; Haley blames him for trillions of dollars of new national debt ("our children will not forgive us for this"). Ramaswamy prefers to attack in all other directions, directly tackling the three inquiring journalists and wishing for entrepreneur Elon Musk and others in their place instead. He lists all the election defeats since 2016 - but blames not Trump, but the top party official: "We have become a party of losers."
After that, it will be almost exclusively about foreign policy: Israel's war against Hamas, Iran, China and Taiwan, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, even Venezuela is briefly touched on. This is one of the reasons, but not the only reason, why Haley shines on this evening. DeSantis appears much more confident and calm than in previous performances. Ramaswamy turns out to be an almost flawless isolationist who would stay out of all international armed conflicts. Anti-Semitism in the education system, the high cost of living and abortions will be the only domestic issues.
On Israel, the candidates are largely unanimous: they would not demand a ceasefire in Gaza from the Israelis, but would eradicate Hamas as much as possible. Scott mentions the key role of Iran ("You have to cut off the head of the snake!"), Haley also emphasizes: "There is an unholy alliance." She points out that the Islamic Republic sells almost all of its oil to China and missiles to Russia. Iran, in turn, finances Hamas. "The USA needs Israel, it is the spearhead against the Islamists," says Haley. Ramaswamy also mentions Israel's own responsibility.
Haley is bursting at the seams
When the businessman said he would no longer support Ukraine in its war against the Russian occupiers, Haley's jaw dropped. "(Russian President Vladimir) Putin and (Chinese President) Xi (Jinping) are salivating at the prospect of someone like that becoming president," she shouts into the microphone and points in the direction of her opponent. The audience cheers in agreement. 500,000 people have died because of Putin, so you don't just stop supporting him, says Haley.
However, Christie makes the strongest plea: "This is the price we pay as leaders of the free world," he says. "The last time we waited, our soldiers died in Europe to defeat Hitler." In addition, the USA promised Ukraine that it would protect it when it gave up its nuclear weapons after the end of the Cold War. The United States must stand by this. "Giving in to dictators shows the immaturity of the approach," says Christie. It is clear from the applause that everyone understands that this means Ramaswamy.
This is followed by the question of whether the current US fleet of around 300 ships is enough to deter China from invading Taiwan. Haley believes that the US aid for Ukraine sends "the strongest message" to China to keep its hands off Taiwan. China fears nothing more than knowing "that we are defending Taiwan". DeSantis, who has often said that he considers the conflict with China to be more important than the conflict in Ukraine, says: "China is what the Soviet Union used to be." If it were to become the world's biggest power, this would affect the lives of Americans. China would then export authoritarianism.
Ramaswamy advocates "declaring independence" from China. The problem is the dependence of the defense, pharmaceutical and semiconductor industries on China. Christie, on the other hand, considers nuclear submarines to be the most important and effective deterrent in the South China Sea, which is why he would "drastically increase" the corresponding budget.
Audience boos Ramaswamy
After a question about what should happen to the Chinese "spyware" app TikTok, a duel broke out between Haley and Ramaswamy about who is closer to China. The entrepreneur says he is the only candidate present on TikTok. He tries to accuse Haley of hypocrisy, as her daughter uses the app. The audience booed Ramaswamy loudly, and Haley was furious: "Don't use my daughter's name." But the entrepreneur doesn't let up - and Haley calls him "scum".
Haley, she will say after the debate, considers Ramaswamy's foreign policy positions to be dangerous for the USA. This is probably why she often contradicts him emphatically or smiles with pity and superiority. The businessman repeatedly tried to emphasize his inexperience as a quality on stage: "Do you want a leader of another generation (..), or do you want Dick Cheney (Vice President under George W. Bush) in 3-inch heels?", he caustically asked when it came to Israel. Haley didn't take this lying down and countered: "They're 5-inch heels (..), they're not a fashion statement, they're for ammunition." Even though Trump may well sweep everyone out of the race next year, the debates between his challengers are always entertaining.
Source: www.ntv.de
