The fourth and final Republican primary debate boasted the smallest crowd of candidates thus far, but the night was far from quiet, with all four participants fighting to make a mark just weeks ahead of the Iowa caucuses.
Only four candidates out of a once-crowded pool of GOP hopefuls qualified for Wednesday’s debate: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy. Once again, despite meeting the Republican National Committee’s requirements to participate, former President Donald Trump did not attend.
The former president still held a major presence over the debate stage, however, who holds a healthy lead in preliminary polling for the next GOP presidential nominee. Meanwhile, Haley and DeSantis wasted no time taking the battle for second place to the debate stage, while Christie and Ramaswamy fought to stay in the race.
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Winners: Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis
As expected, Haley faced attacks left and right from DeSantis and Ramaswamy regarding her policies on foreign affairs, the U.S. southern border and her support from top-dollar donors. But the only woman on stage did not waver once amidst the pressure, including telling her foes early in the night, “I love all the attention, fellas.”
Haley specifically faced criticism for her support from Wall Street donors in recent days, and moderators questioned if she would be able to resonate with the working-class demographic of the GOP. The former governor assured voters, however, that she has been a fighter for Republican policies throughout her career, and touted her support from the conservative grassroots group, Americans for Prosperity.
Later in the night, Haley again faced accusations from Ramawsawmy about being “corrupt”, although the attacks did not phase the former governor.
“It’s not worth my time to respond to him,” she told the moderators.
Meanwhile, DeSantis appeared assertive throughout the night, and was quick to jump on Haley with any chance he was given. Cheers from the crowd also appeared to pick up throughout the night for the Florida governor, and he was quick to put to bed any doubts about his campaign.
“I’m sick of hearing about these polls,” DeSantis said during his opening statements, adding that he was the only candidate on stage “willing to stand up and fight back against what the left is doing to this country.”
Winner: Trump
Even without being in the room, the former president came out a winner Wednesday.
All four candidates made their typical attacks against Trump’s presidency, and DeSantis may have offered the strongest criticism, claiming that the former president missed the ball during his first term in office on issues like the U.S.-Mexico and COVID-19.
Still, questions about the former president instead raised fights among the candidates on stage, and when Christie issued warnings that Trump’s second term could look something of a “dictator,” the answer was met with a resounding “boo” from the crowd.
Loser: Transgender Rights
One of the few things that candidates agreed on Wednesday was that gender-affirming care should not be offered for minors, although they disagreed to what extent the federal government should be involved in the issue.
DeSantis touted his war on “woke” in Florida when asked about how to handle treatment for transgender minors, while Christie explained his position on why he believes the issue is ultimately up for parents to decide, not the government.
“Parents don’t have the right to abuse their kids,” DeSantis exclaimed, which was met with roaring applause from the audience.
Ramaswamy took the question one step further, stating that being transgender is a “mental health disorder.”
Winner: Israel
None of the candidates on stage questioned Israel’s response to the October 7 attacks by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, although Ramaswamy again said that it was Israel’s responsibility to defend itself in light of the war in the Gaza Strip.
Christie went as far as to say that he would be willing to send U.S. troops into the Gaza Strip to rescue American citizens still being held hostage by Hamas. Haley reiterated throughout the night that the war between Israel and Hamas was really about Iran’s threat to the Western world, as is the Russia-Ukraine war.
Haley also criticized how U.S. universities have responded to tensions between pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian groups on campus, and said that being anti-Zionist–the movement and belief in the establishment of a Jewish nation–should be equated to being anti-Semitic.
Loser: Civility
Perhaps the biggest thing lost among the candidates Wednesday was any sense of good manners. Every single participant interrupted another on the stage at some point, and there were several viral one-liners throughout the night.
Christie may have taken the cake as far as one-liners go, calling Ramaswamy a “obnoxious blowhard.” The former New Jersey governor did stand out for a moment in the chaos by defending Haley in the middle of Ramaswamy’s ceaseless attacks, calling her a “smart, accomplished woman.” (Christie later got in a several-second fight with DeSantis, where neither the candidates nor the audience members could understand what was being shouted.)
Moderators also struggled like other debates to cut candidates off at their time limit, and often times participants began responding to attacks or answering one another’s questions without being directed to.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.