Nikki Haley staked out a clear, hawkish vision. Ron DeSantis avoided risks. And the night’s glaring absentee, Donald Trump, again emerged untouched.
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The Republican candidates had little to say about the absent front-runner, Donald J. Trump, even with the first voting looming in Iowa in roughly two months.
It was the undercard that underwhelmed.
The third straight Republican presidential debate that former President Donald J. Trump has skipped — choosing instead to rally with supporters a few miles away — represented a critical and shrinking chance for his rivals to close his chasm of a polling advantage.
And with only five candidates on the stage for the first time — Chris Christie, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy and Tim Scott — they all had far more time to speak.
Yet they had precious little to say about Mr. Trump, even when given the chance just over two months before the Iowa caucuses.
They sparred in a substantive debate that dissected disagreements over aid to Ukraine, Social Security, confronting China, banning TikTok and how to approach abortion less than 24 hours after Republicans suffered their latest electoral setbacks driven by the fall of Roe v. Wade.
But there was something surreal about such detailed discussions unfolding among candidates who seem so far from the Oval Office — even Mr. DeSantis and Ms. Haley, who asserted themselves as the leaders of the non-Trump pack.
Here are six takeaways from a debate in Miami that may best be remembered for Ms. Haley snapping at Mr. Ramaswamy, “You’re just scum.”
Haley came out swinging.
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Nikki Haley Tells Israel to ‘Finish’ Hamas
Ms. Haley, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said that there would be no Hamas without Iran.
“What would you be urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to do? Would you consider a humanitarian pause, for example?” “The first thing I said to him when it happened was I said, ‘Finish them. Finish them.’ And the reason is I worked on this every day when I was at the United Nations. And we have to remember that they have to, one, eliminate Hamas; two, support Israel with whatever they need, whenever they need it; and three, make sure we bring our hostages home. We need to be very clear-eyed to know there would be no Hamas without Iran. There would be no Hezbollah without Iran. There would not be the Houthis without Iran. And there wouldn’t be the Iranian militias in Syria and Iraq that are trying to hit our military men and women, if it hadn’t been for Iran.”
Ms. Haley, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said that there would be no Hamas without Iran.CreditCredit…Scott McIntyre for The New York Times
Nikki Haley emerged as a power center on the debate stage, giving a forceful performance that took advantage of the night’s focus on foreign policy to present a clear and hawkish vision of America’s role in the world.
Leaning into her experience as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, she staked out expansive, interventionist positions that cut against Mr. Trump’s “America First” foreign policy vision.
She backed Ukraine to the hilt. She said she would support military strikes against Iran. And she said the United States needed to support Israel with “whatever they need and whenever they need it.”
Most of the other candidates gave versions of the same responses — but Ms. Haley had the edge of having represented the United States on the world stage.
When the candidates were asked what they would urge Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel to do at this moment, Mr. DeSantis said he “would be telling” him to eliminate Hamas. Ms. Haley said she did, in fact, tell Mr. Netanyahu to “finish them.”
As Ms. Haley vies with Mr. DeSantis to establish herself as the field’s Trump alternative, some of the party’s biggest donors were closely watching her performance as they weighed whether to spend millions on her behalf in a desperate final effort to beat Mr. Trump.
Ms. Haley’s competitors recognized her rising status by taking aim at her.
DeSantis is still playing it safe in a game he’s losing.
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Ron DeSantis: ‘I’m Sick of Republicans Losing’
The Florida governor criticized Donald Trump’s absence from the debate stage.
Donald Trump’s a lot different guy than he was in 2016. He owes it to you to be on this stage and explain why he should get another chance. He should explain why he didn’t have Mexico pay for the border wall. He should explain why he racked up so much debt. He should explain why he didn’t drain the swamp. And he said Republicans were going to get tired of winning. Well, we saw last night, I’m sick of Republicans losing.
The Florida governor criticized Donald Trump’s absence from the debate stage.CreditCredit…Scott McIntyre for The New York Times
It seemed, for a moment, as if this would be a different kind of debate for Mr. DeSantis. His opening answer affirmatively outlined how he would be better than Mr. Trump.
“He should explain why he didn’t have Mexico pay for the border wall,” Mr. DeSantis began. “He should explain why he racked up so much debt. He should explain why he didn’t drain the swamp.” He went on to say that Mr. Trump promised “winning” only to have his party endure years of “losing,” including on Tuesday.
“In Florida, I showed how it’s done,” Mr. DeSantis declared, trying to take hometown advantage of a debate held in Miami.
But then he mostly left Mr. Trump untouched, satisfied to prosecute his own case and push back on rivals like Ms. Haley. It was the same strategy he used in the first two debates, with little traction gained.
Mr. DeSantis is plainly more comfortable than in the first debate. Yet he surprisingly left unsaid a development that his campaign has advertised as a game changer: the endorsement this week of Gov. Kim Reynolds of Iowa.
You can’t debate someone who isn’t there.
ImageChris Christie took the sharpest aim at Mr. Trump, but in his absence the five contenders were left to tear one another down, with varying levels of nastiness.Credit…Maansi Srivastava/The New York Times
The candidates again did little to aggressively contrast themselves with Mr. Trump, who has made himself unavailable for direct sparring by refusing to stand onstage with his rivals or, for the most part, appear with them at multicandidate gatherings on the campaign trail.
Without Mr. Trump present, the five contenders were left to tear one another down, with varying levels of nastiness.
The first question to the candidates was the fundamental one most of them have struggled to answer to Republican voters: why they, and not Mr. Trump, should be the nominee.
Mr. Christie, as expected, was the sharpest in his attack, arguing that someone who faces Mr. Trump’s criminal charges “cannot lead this party or this country.”
But Mr. DeSantis took only a brief swipe. Ms. Haley praised Mr. Trump’s presidency, then criticized him, saying that he had gone “weak in the knees” on Ukraine and that his time had passed. Mr. Ramaswamy defended Mr. Trump in passing. And Mr. Scott talked about himself.
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Nikki Haley: Trump was the ‘Right President at the Right Time’
Nikki Haley said that she doesn’t believe Trump is the “right president now.”
00:00:00.000 —> 00:00:02.180 Everybody wants to talk about President Trump. 00:00:02.180 —> 00:00:03.710 Well, I can talk about President Trump. 00:00:03.710 —> 00:00:05.960 I can tell you that I think he was the right president 00:00:05.960 —> 00:00:07.230 at the right time. 00:00:07.230 —> 00:00:09.690 I don’t think he’s the right president now. 00:00:09.690 —> 00:00:12.680 I think that he put us $8 trillion in debt, 00:00:12.680 —> 00:00:15.150 and our kids are never going to forgive us for that. 00:00:15.150 —> 00:00:17.840 I think the fact that he used to be right on Ukraine 00:00:17.840 —> 00:00:20.600 and foreign issues, now he’s getting weak in the knees 00:00:20.600 —> 00:00:22.380 and trying to be friendly again. 00:00:22.380 —> 00:00:24.620 I think that we’ve got to go back to the fact that we 00:00:24.620 —> 00:00:25.890 can’t live in the past. 00:00:25.890 —> 00:00:28.440 We can’t live in other headlines. 00:00:28.440 —> 00:00:31.070 We’ve got to start focusing on what’s going to make America 00:00:31.070 —> 00:00:33.370 strong and proud.
Nikki Haley said that she doesn’t believe Trump is the “right president now.”CreditCredit…NBC News
That was almost the extent of efforts to chip away at the runaway front-runner. Nearby, Mr. Trump held a rally in Hialeah, Fla., remarking at one point that his rivals were “not watchable.”
For months, the candidates have struggled to find a way to force him into the ring with them, with Mr. Christie threatening to follow him on the campaign trail and Mr. DeSantis, in recent days, lobbing crass responses to Mr. Trump’s brutal taunts. In the third debate, none of them figured out how to make it work.
This debate got personal.
ImageVivek Ramaswamy fought with the NBC moderators and the head of the Republican National Committee, Ronna McDaniel, whom he urged to resign.Credit…Maansi Srivastava/The New York Times
After three debates, this much is clear: Some of the candidates onstage really don’t like one another.
The most loathed appears to be Mr. Ramaswamy, who from the start fought not just with the rivals flanking him but also with the NBC moderators and the head of the Republican National Committee, Ronna McDaniel, whom he urged to resign in his opening statement.
At times, Mr. Ramaswamy almost seemed to be doing Mr. Trump’s bidding, attacking NBC’s past coverage of the former president’s scandals.
He made acidic attacks on Ms. Haley, mocking her foreign policy and calling her “Dick Cheney in three-inch heels.” He slipped in a crack about Mr. DeSantis’s footwear, suggesting that the Florida governor, too, was wearing lifts. Mr. DeSantis ignored him. Ms. Haley said hers were five inches and “for ammunition.”
When Mr. Ramaswamy later invoked her daughter’s use of TikTok, she demanded, “Leave my daughter out of your voice,” and then added in almost disbelief about the exchange, “You’re just scum.”
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Haley Calls Ramaswamy ‘Scum’ in Heated Exchange
During a confrontation over TikTok, Nikki Haley snapped at Vivek Ramaswamy after he scolded Ms. Haley over her daughter’s use of the app.
00:00:00.000 —> 00:00:03.110 “Mr. Ramaswamy, we’ve talked about this. 00:00:03.110 —> 00:00:04.990 You campaign on TikTok. 00:00:04.990 —> 00:00:07.890 How do you get TikTok banned if you use it?” 00:00:07.890 —> 00:00:10.188 “Well, I want to laugh at why Nikki Haley didn’t answer 00:00:10.188 —> 00:00:12.230 your question, which is about looking at families 00:00:12.230 —> 00:00:13.077 in the eye. 00:00:13.077 —> 00:00:14.660 In the last debate, she made fun of me 00:00:14.660 —> 00:00:17.600 for actually joining TikTok, while her own daughter was 00:00:17.600 —> 00:00:19.290 actually using the app for a long time. 00:00:19.290 —> 00:00:21.257 So you might want to take care of your family first.” 00:00:21.257 —> 00:00:23.010 “Leave my daughter out of your voice.” 00:00:23.010 —> 00:00:23.415 “— adult daughter.” 00:00:23.415 —> 00:00:24.560 [crowd booing] 00:00:24.560 —> 00:00:27.150 The next generation of Americans are using it. 00:00:27.150 —> 00:00:28.920 And that’s actually the point. 00:00:28.920 —> 00:00:30.870 You have her supporters propping her up. 00:00:30.870 —> 00:00:31.560 That’s fine. 00:00:31.560 —> 00:00:32.430 Here’s the truth.” 00:00:32.430 —> 00:00:33.300 “You’re just scum.” 00:00:33.300 —> 00:00:34.750 “The easy answer —”
During a confrontation over TikTok, Nikki Haley snapped at Vivek Ramaswamy after he scolded Ms. Haley over her daughter’s use of the app.CreditCredit…Scott McIntyre for The New York Times
Abortion remains a Republican quagmire.
ImageThe crowd at Wednesday’s debate.Credit…Maansi Srivastava/The New York Times
After Tuesday’s defeats, the Republican candidates knew they would face questions about the way forward on abortion. But they mostly seemed uncertain what to say.
“We’re better off when we can promote a culture of life,” said Mr. DeSantis, who signed a six-week ban in his state. He said little at all about what his party should do or what he would do as president. “At the same time, I understand that some of these states are doing it a little bit different.”
Ms. Haley described herself as opposed to abortion, but said that passing national restrictions would be virtually impossible, arguing that it’s crucial to be “honest” with the public.
At times, Ms. Haley seemed to be trying to appeal to general-election voters. “I don’t judge anyone for being pro-choice,” she said. It was the kind of line that makes Democratic strategists worry about her strength if she were to win the nomination — but also one that the G.O.P. base is unlikely to welcome.
It all amounted to a reminder that Republicans, after decades of campaigning against abortion rights, have yet to figure out what to say after finally getting their wish through a Supreme Court that Mr. Trump — who also won’t say where he stands on a national ban — reshaped.
Was this Tim Scott’s swan song?
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Scott Says He Will Stand ‘Shoulder to Shoulder’ With Israel
Tim Scott said “diplomacy only“ in the Israel-Hamas war was “a weak strategy.“
I would tell Prime Minister — Prime Minister Netanyahu, Not only do you have the responsibility and the right to wipe Hamas off of the map, we will support you. We will be there with you. We will stand shoulder to shoulder. There will be no daylight. But I would change the station a little bit, though, and head back home to America. I would say to President Biden, diplomacy only is a weak strategy. Appeasement leads to war.
Tim Scott said “diplomacy only“ in the Israel-Hamas war was “a weak strategy.“CreditCredit…Scott McIntyre for The New York Times
Mr. Scott qualified for this debate by the narrowest of margins, with only a single poll — the legitimacy of which some of his rivals have privately disputed — ensuring his spot. But the thresholds will be higher for the next debate in December, and Mr. Scott’s allies acknowledge that he needs to something, anything, just to remain a factor.
It’s hard to imagine that he did anything on Wednesday night to change his trajectory. He stuck to the same messages he has been hitting throughout the campaign. He described an America in need of spiritual healing and a return to Judeo-Christian values.
He received more attention for what he did after the debate than for anything he said during it. Mr. Scott, 58, has never been married, and entire newspaper stories have been dedicated to a mysterious girlfriend who had never been seen with him in public.
Until he brought her onstage.
Michael Gold contributed reporting from Hialeah, Fla.
Shane Goldmacher is a national political reporter and was previously the chief political correspondent for the Metro desk. Before joining The Times, he worked at Politico, where he covered national Republican politics and the 2016 presidential campaign. More about Shane Goldmacher
Jonathan Swan is a political reporter who focuses on campaigns and Congress. As a reporter for Axios, he won an Emmy Award for his 2020 interview of then-President Donald J. Trump, and the White House Correspondents’ Association’s Aldo Beckman Award for “overall excellence in White House coverage” in 2022. More about Jonathan Swan
Maggie Haberman is a senior political correspondent and the author of “Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America.” She was part of a team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2018 for reporting on President Trump’s advisers and their connections to Russia. More about Maggie Haberman
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Source: nytimes.com
