Three men against Nikki Haley - good news for Donald Trump

Fourth Republican TV debate - Three men against Nikki Haley - good news for Donald Trump

After just a few minutes, Nikki Haley knows that it's going to be an uncomfortable evening. First she is called "corrupt" by Vivek Ramaswamy, a 38-year-old millionaire, and shortly afterwards even a "fascist" because she is campaigning for a clear name requirement on the internet. The governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, repeatedly accuses her of lying. And Chris Christie, former Trump loyalist and now his fiercest critic in public, accuses the former UN ambassador of not distancing herself clearly enough from the former president. Three men against Nikki Haley.

The Republican presidential candidates debated each other for the fourth time late Wednesday evening US time. Five are still in the race, four were on stage in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Donald Trump has once again declined the invitation. He points to the national polls, in some of which he has a lead of more than 40 percentage points over his rivals. Why should he debate with people who have no chance against him anyway? That's how Trump thinks, and this attitude has not done him any harm so far.

The four remaining Trump rivals may not be able to stand each other, but they are all pursuing a similar plan. They want to achieve a surprise victory in the early primaries from January - specifically Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. In these states, the gap between Trump and his rivals is smaller. If one or more of them were to win, Trump might falter - at least that is the hope. For this to succeed, Trump's pursuers would have to agree on one person to take on the ex-president. So far, however, they have been fighting among themselves and not against Trump.

This may change after the first primaries. Nikki Haley is in second place in New Hampshire and South Carolina, while she and Ron DeSantis are still battling it out in Iowa. The governor of Florida had tried to position himself as the more successful Trump in recent months. The strategy did not work, DeSantis now only has an outside chance.

Big business and billionaires fight for Nikki Haley

Nikki Haley is now being supported by financially strong conservative groups. Billionaire Charles Koch recently announced that he would help Haley with his campaign organization. He is likely to provide millions for campaign ads in the particularly contested primary states. Money is not the exclusive route to success in US elections, but it is an extremely important one.

In the TV debate, Haley was repeatedly criticized by DeSantis and Ramaswamy for having billionaires and large corporations among her donors and supporters. "You're just jealous," retorted the daughter of Indian immigrants. The attacks against Haley may have been crude, but they hit a critical point. For decades, the Republican Party had also seen itself as the party of business. However, since Trump's entry into politics at the latest, the self-proclaimed "Grand Old Party" has seen itself as an advocate for the white working class. In parts of the party, it is considered objectionable when large companies try to exert influence. This could hurt Haley in the primaries.

Chris Christie, the former governor of New Jersey, is in third place in New Hampshire and is considered to have little chance of becoming the presidential candidate. This is also due to the fact that he repeatedly warns against Trump and thus turns the Republican base against him. During the TV debate in Alabama, Christie developed an interesting mind game.

The 61-year-old addressed the audience directly and said that they could exercise their right to vote in the presidential election in November 2024 and decide the next president. However, if Donald Trump is convicted of possible criminal offenses in the months leading up to the election, he would have forfeited this right. In the USA, felons are not allowed to vote. Christie's message: Do you really want someone as a candidate who would possibly be in prison if he were to be re-elected to office?

Christie was booed for his words. His strategy of demonizing Trump is not working. Ron DeSantis is facing a shambles after a completely failed campaign. Ramaswamy stands out with strong opinions, but is far behind in the polls. It remains: Nikki Haley. If she wants to stand a chance against Trump, she would need the support and votes of her rivals. But at the moment it's three against Haley. That's good news for Donald Trump.