Israel, Social Security and ‘Scum’ Dominate Third GOP Debate

With the window closing to claim the spot of chief challenger to GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump, a scaled-down field of Republicans argued during a debate about foreign policy, Social Security and how to handle what is becoming a consistently losing issue for Republicans: abortion.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley dominated the stage on questions about America’s role abroad, showing the foreign policy chops she developed as former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. to talk about Israel, Ukraine and the threats from terrorists and those bent on destroying democracy.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has seen his support drop while Haley’s has risen, took a swaggering tone as he talked about deporting Middle Easterners, shooting narco traffickers at the border “stone cold dead” and fighting not only Chinese economic power but culture.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie dialed back his usual attacks on Trump – a tactic that has earned him boos from GOP audiences in the past – and avoided mentioning the absent leader in primary polls after first questioning whether the former president could run for reelection from courtrooms.

Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina peppered his answers with references to his faith, an opening he got after former Vice President Mike Pence left the race last month.

And while the contenders at the Miami event overall lowered the temperature from the first two debates, tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy took it to a new, even more personal level. In what was one of the most jarring exchanges of the debate, Ramaswamy brought up Haley’s daughter, noting that she was on TikTok despite her mother’s concerns about the social media app’s security and Chinese influence.

Haley, who had been looking away from Ramaswamy as though he were a misbehaving toddler whose tantrum should not be rewarded with attention, turned and shot a steely look at the 38-year-old.

“Leave my daughter out of your voice,” Haley said, her voice even but angry. When Ramaswamy continued, the former diplomat dropped any pretense of decorum.

“You’re just scum,” she said.

The third debate – winnowed to five contenders who reached fundraising and polling thresholds – was arguably the most substantive of the debates thus far, perhaps because candidates were given virtually no opportunity to engage with one another or respond to attacks that could be interpreted as personal. Instead, they addressed terrorism and the Middle East conflict as well as domestic issues such as Social Security and abortion.

On foreign policy, Haley offered an unapologetic and determined vision, saying America needs to stand by its ally Israel and support Ukraine.

“We all know that half a million people have died because of Putin. And here is a freedom-loving, pro-American country that is fighting for its survival and its democracy. … I think we should give them the equipment and ammunition to win,” Haley said.

Scott called for more “accountability” on spending for Ukraine before he would commit to signing more aid, should he become president. DeSantis underscored that he would not send U.S. troops to Ukraine, a position also held by President Joe Biden.

Several of the candidates talked about withholding federal funds from universities where students are holding what they described as pro-Hamas demonstrations.

“Any campus that allows for antisemitism and hate, that allows students to encourage antisemitism and terrorism … you should lose their federal funding – period,” Scott said.

Christie noted that he had become a federal attorney in New Jersey the day before the Sept. 11 attacks and managed to “work with both sides” by making clear that hate and violence against any religious group would not be tolerated.

The group mostly ignored Trump, who as usual was holding a counterprogramming event and relegating the debate as a test of which one would be his main challenger for the nomination. Polling shows Trump with a seemingly insurmountable lead.

DeSantis, clearly feeling more relaxed in his home state, noted sarcastically that Trump had campaigned in 2016 by telling Americans they would get “tired of winning.”

In fact, DeSantis noted, the opposite has been happening for the party, which suffered losses Tuesday night in Virginia, Kentucky and in Ohio, where GOP lawmakers failed to stop a referendum guaranteeing abortion rights.

“I’m sick of Republicans losing,” DeSantis said.

Asked about the electoral path forward, given the big wins abortion rights advocates had in elections Tuesday, all said they were anti-abortion. Scott and DeSantis said Republicans need to do a better job making their case.

Christie said the matter was rightly left to the states, even if he didn’t like the fact that some states would not restrict abortion. Only Haley addressed the stark reality of election history and Capitol Hill politics on the issue – and said the party needed to face up to those truths.

No federal abortion ban will get the required 60 votes in the Senate to pass, she said.

“As much as I’m pro-life, I don’t judge anyone for being pro-choice and I don’t want them to judge me for being pro-life,” Haley said. She said the party should support access to contraception and ease in adoption, but added that “I would support any (ban) that would pass because it would save more lives.”

On Social Security, both Haley and Christie said the retirement age needed to be raised for younger workers, though neither would state a specific age. Christie also called for means-testing, saying rich people did not need Social Security as a safety net.

Scott noted that people in physically stressful jobs cannot work as long as others and said raising the retirement age would be a burden to them. Ramaswamy and DeSantis talked about making the economy strong enough to sustain the popular government retirement program.

“As governor of Florida, I know a few people on Social Security,” DeSantis quipped. His approach is, “Promises made, promises kept,” the governor added.

Ramaswamy, seemingly uncomfortable in a setting that was about more than prepared jabs and mutual insults, kept up his verbal attacks throughout the two-hour event.

He started by complaining about the moderators, saying they should all have been conservative personalities instead of journalists. He attacked Republican National Committee Chairperson Ronna McDaniel, saying it was her fault Republicans have been losing elections for years and inviting her onstage to resign publicly.

During a somber discussion about foreign policy, Ramaswamy turned his ire on his primary competitors with a snide comment about their attire.

“Do you want Dick Cheney in 3-inch heels? In which case we’ve got two of them,” Ramaswamy said, an apparent reference to Haley and to DeSantis, who wears heeled cowboy boots.

After the debate, Ramaswamy was in what appeared to be a heated conversation with someone in the audience, near the stage. Haley, greeting her grown daughter and other family members, turned away from him. The two did not speak and were the only contenders not to shake hands after the debate.