Shrill Republican debate - with high heel attack
With messages of political toughness and mutual attacks, Republican presidential candidates have attempted to distinguish themselves in another televised debate.
Five Republicans took to the stage in Miami this evening, although they are all lagging far behind their internal party rival, Donald Trump, in the polls. The former US president also stayed away from the third debate and instead appeared in front of supporters less than 20 kilometers away in Hialeah, also in the state of Florida.
Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, who had recently caught up with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in the polls, was a particularly frequent target of verbal attacks during the TV debate.
For DeSantis, who was still considered Trump's most promising rival at the start of the race, things have gone steeply downhill in recent months. DeSantis openly attacked the 51-year-old Haley several times on the TV stage. Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, in particular, took aim at her in almost every speech.
The shrill attacks
The 38-year-old mockingly referred to Haley as "Dick Cheney in seven-inch high heels" in reference to the former US Vice President. She countered that her shoes were twelve centimeters high and that she did not use them for fashion reasons, but as ammunition.
When Ramaswamy commented on the controversy surrounding the video platform TikTok that Haley had no control over her own family because she demonized TikTok while her daughter used the service, the Republican responded gruffly: "You're just scum."
Ramaswamy, who is not considered to have any real chance in the race, was again conspicuously aggressive. He used the very first question to discredit the organizers of the debate, the top of the Republican Party and the television station NBC, and to call on party chairwoman Ronna McDaniel to resign. He later described Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj as a "Nazi" and US President Joe Biden as a political "puppet".
The big issues
In addition to many personal skirmishes and provocations, there were weighty issues at stake: the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, the conflicts with China and Iran, migration, abortion and drugs. South Carolina's Senator Tim Scott and the former governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie, remained rather pale.
Together, the Republican candidates complained that the country was going down the drain under Democratic President Joe Biden. They were also united in their support for Israel in the war against Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip. On the question of further support for Ukraine in the defensive struggle against Russia, however, the split in the Republican Party became apparent.
While Haley and Christie argued for further military aid to Kiev, DeSantis, Scott and Ramaswamy were skeptical. "We have to make sure that the Europeans do their fair share," said DeSantis, for example.
The pithy announcements
All five tried to score points on many topics with messages of toughness - especially towards China, Iran or drug cartels from Mexico. Scott argued that the US military should not only attack pro-Iranian militias in Syria, but also targets in Iran itself. Haley also called for more toughness towards Tehran. "You hit them once, and you hit them hard, and then they stop."
Haley struck a surprisingly conciliatory tone on the issue of abortion, where the fronts in the country are usually very hardened. She said that even though she tends to oppose abortion, she respects the position of pro-lifers. A general ban on abortions could not be enforced at federal level in the foreseeable future. She therefore advocated seeking cross-party compromises on individual points.
Ramaswamy, on the other hand, used populist positions, conspiracy theories and extreme statements in addition to personal attacks to make his point. Among other things, he advocated not only completing the wall on the southern border with Mexico, but also building a new wall on the northern border with Canada in order to prevent drug smuggling from there as well.
The way forward
Former Vice President Mike Pence, who was still on stage at the previous debate, has since dropped out of the race. Anyone wishing to become the Republican presidential candidate must first win through in the primaries in the individual states. For the Republicans, voters in Iowa will be the first to decide on their preferred candidate in mid-January.
Trump, who is leading in the Republican polls, will face several court cases in the election year. While his party colleagues expressed only mild criticism of him on the television stage, Trump reeled off his usual program in front of supporters in Hialeah and complained that the legal proceedings against him were nothing but political persecution. He had also failed to appear at the previous TV debates of his party colleagues, arguing that he did not need to take part because of his poll ratings.
During the debate, Nikki Haley, a rising star among Republicans, faced numerous verbal attacks from her opponents, particularly from Vivek Ramaswamy. Despite the attacks, Haley remained poised and was able to counter some of them effectively.
Following the debate, several Republican parties expressed their support for Haley, recognizing her strength and resilience under pressure. The elections are drawing near, and Haley's performance in the debate has solidified her position as a serious contender for the Republican nomination.
Source: www.dpa.com
