Global Courant
There was a hint of desperation in the air at the second Republican debate Wednesday night in Los Angeles, as Donald Trump once again skipped the event.
The seven candidates on stage are all trailing Trump by a significant margin in the race for the party’s nomination, and knew they had to do something to change the dynamic.
During a chaotic two-hour debate, they often tried to do it all in one go, talking over each other, the moderators and sometimes themselves.
“Thank you for talking to me while I interrupt you,” Vivek Ramaswamy said mockingly to Tim Scott in a telling Freudian slip.
Here’s a look at some of the biggest moments from the debate – and who came out on top.
‘Donald Trump is missing in action. He should be on this stage tonight. He owes it to you to defend his record.” -Ron DeSantis
Florida’s governor came out of the gate early with an attack that suggests he may be reconsidering his refusal to tackle the former president head-on.
That strategy was aimed at making DeSantis an attractive alternative for Trump voters in 2020. But Trump’s base remains with him. So Mr. DeSantis may have decided that he must take down the former president if he is to have any hope of catching him — or even closing the gap — in the polls before the election begins in January.
The problem for DeSantis, of course, is that it’s much harder to land blows on a candidate more than a thousand miles away.
The Florida governor remained steadfast throughout the debate, once again putting his record in implicit contrast with Mr. Trump. “I’m the only one here who has fought big fights and won big victories for the people of Florida,” he said.
However, implicit contrasts have not worked so far. We’ll see if a direct attack is more successful.
“You’re not here tonight because you’re afraid to defend your record. You’re ducking… We’re going to call you Donald Duck.” -Chris Christie
Unlike DeSantis, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has made attacking Donald Trump the defining feature of his presidential campaign. This time he labeled his nemesis “Donald Duck” as a way to mock his decision to sit out another debate.
But the jibe landed on the audience.
Furthermore, the chaotic nature of this debate – with candidates talking over each other for extended periods of time – got them all in trouble. The backyard brawl character took time and may have turned off viewers.
Former South Carolina Governor and UN Ambassador Nikki Haley and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie
Polls show that Trump has paid no political price for his decision to ignore these debates. In fact, he appears to have widened his lead over his rivals. Nothing that happened Wednesday night is likely to change that dynamic — and Trump reportedly plans to skip the third debate in Miami.
“Honestly, every time I hear you, what you say makes me feel a little dumber.” -Nikki Haley
Vivek Ramaswamy entered the debate last month thanks to a surge in the polls. That put pressure on the astute businessman for some of his rivals, including Mike Pence, Nikki Haley and Chris Christie.
New debate, same story. This time, even more of Mr. Ramaswamy’s opponents joined the fray. In what was clearly a planned attack, South Carolina’s Tim Scott went after Ramaswamy for doing business with China earlier in his career.
Mr. Ramaswamy noted that he had stopped trading in China, but that opened him up to a swipe from Pence, who said he must have withdrawn from China in 2018 — around the same time, he joked, that the 38-year-old candidate started voting in the presidential elections.
Ramaswamy’s competitors see him as a threat. The personal nature of the attacks also suggests that some of them simply don’t like the political newcomer, period.
Last month, Ramaswamy emerged victorious in the debate, boosted by the attention of his rivals. This time he seemed a little more upset by his opponents, who had more focused attacks.
“I have been discriminated against, but America is not fundamentally a racist nation.” -Tim Scott
A month ago Tim Scott faded into the background. His sunny, non-negative strategy kept him from making headlines or creating momentum while others like Ms. Haley and Mr. Ramaswamy prospered.
This time it was Mr Scott, who appears to have a burgeoning goatee, who was more than happy to challenge his rivals.
He also had one of his most personally passionate moments when he took issue with Mr. DeSantis’ earlier comments about slaves learning valuable skills during their servitude.
“There is no redeeming quality in slavery,” he said. “America is a great country because we looked at our demons in the mirror and made a decision.”
Recent reports have shown that some deep-pocketed Republican donors who initially found Scott attractive now viewed Ms. Haley as a possible Trump alternative. His debate performance on Wednesday evening may give him another chance.
“Which one of you on stage tonight should be voted off the island?” – Moderator Dana Perino
At the end of the debate, Dana Perino, one of Fox Business’ moderators, noted that if the crowd of candidates does not thin out before voting begins in January, Trump would win the nomination. She then asked the debaters to choose a rival they would drop first.
No one took the bait and some seemed visibly angry. Their disdain was a fitting end to a tumultuous two hours, as all candidates repeatedly ignored the moderators’ pleas to respect speaking time limits, minimize interruptions and respect debate rules.
Ultimately, perhaps it was the ineffective moderators who most wanted viewers off the island.
