The fourth Republican debate The 2024 U.S. presidential election was marked by chaotic moments and personal attacks, as candidates fought to present themselves as viable alternatives to former President Donald Trump.
Trump, the undisputed favorite for the Republican nomination, once again skipped the debate, but his candidacy, his political record and legal problems were the target of recurring criticism on Wednesday.
The event, organized by the NewsNation Channel in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, took place six weeks before the first primary election: the Iowa caucuses. However, Trump is already leading in the state by a comfortable margin.
Still, four candidates arrived on Wednesday’s debate stage to try to narrow his lead. They included Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former UN envoy Nikki Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former governor of New Jersey Chris Christie.
Familiar themes, including the war in Gaza, immigration, China and health care for transgender youth, dominated the conversation.
Here are five key takeaways from the fourth Republican debate:
Haley faces attacks
The old UN envoy saw his campaign gain momentum after receiving support from the Koch network, an influential and deep-pocketed right-wing group.
Some polls now show DeSantis and Haley tied for second place for the Republican nod. It is therefore not surprising that DeSantis, who has long been considered the the biggest challengercame out swinging towards Haley.
From the start, he questioned her conservative credentials and criticized her for suggesting that parents should be able to get transgender health care for their children. The two candidates then exchanged accusations of laxity towards China.
Ramaswamy left from there. He attacked Haley throughout the debate, portraying her as a corrupt neocon beholden to wealthy donors.
It’s no mystery why the establishment supports itself @NikkiHaley And why his Super PAC puppet masters are calling on his services again:
+ His family income *tripled* in the first 5 years after his first election in 2004
+ Took hundreds of thousands of dollars in gifts while governor… pic.twitter.com/lzrY9myxBe– Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) December 7, 2023
At one point, Christie came to Haley’s defense, calling Ramaswamy “the most obnoxious braggart in America.”
But the Ohio-born businessman wasn’t deterred. Instead, he doubled down on his attacks, repeatedly questioning Haley’s support for aid to Ukraine.
“You can put lipstick on a Dick Cheney, he’s still a fascist neoconservative,” he said, referring to a former Republican vice president who was a pioneer in the wars of after September 11.
Ramaswamy’s attacks did not stop there. He then held up a notepad that read “Nikki = corrupt.”
Haley was quick to dismiss the jab. “It’s not worth my time to respond to him,” she said, and the debate continued.
Trump draws the wrath of his rivals
Christie reprized his role as Trump’s most prominent critic on the debate stage, but even though none of his rivals matched his zeal, some still took their own modest shots at the former president.
Haley, in particular, has criticized government spending under the Trump administration, which endorsed a massive fight against COVID-19. economic relief program in 2020. She also described Trump as an agent of chaos.
“We have to end the chaos, but you can’t defeat Democratic chaos with Republican chaos,” Haley said. “And that’s what Donald Trump gives us. My approach is different: no drama, no vendetta, no whining. »
For his part, DeSantis, who burst onto the national scene with his harsh defense of Trump, questioned the former president’s electability, suggesting he might be too old to serve in the White House at 77 years.
He also argued that Trump failed to keep his 2016 campaign promises.
“He didn’t clean the swamp. He said he was going to empty it. He didn’t empty it. He said he was going to build a wall and Mexico would pay for it. We don’t do it have the wall” DeSantis said.
Trump leads the race by as much as 40 percentage points, according to some polls.
![Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump appears at the California Republican Party's fall convention in Anaheim, California, U.S., September 29, 2023. REUTERS/Mike Blake](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/2023-09-29T211104Z_774154355_RC2LI3AYZPAY_RTRMADP_3_USA-ELECTION-TRUMP-1696231931-e1696244257395.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C492)
Support for Israel
Presidential candidates have expressed strong support for Israel in its war in Gaza, which has killed more than 16,000 Palestinians.
If his military aides presented him with a solid plan, Christie said he would not hesitate to send American soldiers to rescue American captives in Gaza, who were kidnapped by Hamas during the war. October 7 attack.
“If they had bandwidth (and) showed me that we can get them out safely, you’re absolutely right, I would send the United States military there to take our people home and bring them home them now,” Christie said.
Despite President Joe Biden’s unwavering support for Israel, DeSantis accused the US administration of restricting Israel’s war efforts.
“Joe Biden will say they support Israel, and then they will do nothing but try to bring them to their knees every step of the way,” DeSantis said.
It is not clear what he was referring to. The White House has said it is drawing no red lines to limit Israel’s military actions, and Biden is seeking $14 billion in aid for the U.S. ally.
Haley called for TikTok to be banned in part because of its content critical of Israel. “For every 30 minutes someone watches TikTok each day, they become 17% more anti-Semitic and more pro-Hamas,” she said.
The former ambassador added that she would advocate a new definition of anti-Semitism that include anti-Zionism.
“If you don’t think Israel has the right to exist, that’s anti-Semitism. We are going to change the definition, so that every government, every school must recognize the definition as it is,” she said.
Palestinian rights advocates, including many progressive Jewish groups, have long warned against conflating anti-Semitism with anti-Zionism. They argue that this could dampen legitimate criticism of the Israeli government without contributing to the fight against intolerance.
Ramaswamy reiterated his support for Israel but said the U.S. ally should be able to defend itself without American intervention.
Tough speeches at the border and migration
The candidates largely agreed on the need to curb unauthorized arrivals at the U.S. southern border.
DeSantis said he would treat drug cartels on the U.S. southern border as “foreign terrorist organizations” and combat them militarily.
“We need to build a wall on the southern border,” he added, saying he would pay for it by taxing foreign workers’ remittances sent from the United States to their home countries.
Haley said she would step up the expulsion of migrants who entered the country without authorization during the period Biden presidency.
“My parents came here legally. They took a long time; they paid the price. They are offended by those who come illegally. We can’t let them skip the line,” she said.
For his part, Ramaswamy pushed the racist conspiracy theory that Democrats seek to replace white voters by allowing more immigrants into the country.
“THE grand theory of replacement is not a grand right-wing conspiracy theory but a fundamental statement of the Democratic Party agenda,” he said.
China in the crosshairs
The candidates have alternately proposed tough policies on China and accused each other of being weak on Beijing.
Ramaswamy blamed China for the fentanyl crisis in the United States and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We also need to hold them accountable for every financial lever we have,” he said.
“If we are prepared to stand our ground, China will absolutely have to withdraw because they are in a more difficult situation than us,” Ramaswamy added.
DeSantis also highlighted Washington’s competition with Beijing.
“Deterring China’s ambitions is the number one national security task I will do as president, and we will succeed,” he said.
“The 21st century must be an American century. We cannot allow this to be a Chinese century. »