On Thursday night, the Republicans held their second debate ahead of the primary election. This time with seven out of eight candidates present.
Donald Trump, who is the favorite to become the Republican presidential candidate, also declined the invitation this time.
Instead, he gave a speech to striking workers in Detroit. He did so at the same time as the debate.
Trump has been in tough weather lately after being indicted in a number of cases. Recently, he was also found guilty of fraud.
Donald Trump was most concerned with criticizing President Joe Biden and his policies when he addressed striking workers in the auto industry.
Foto: REBECCA COOK / Reuters
DeSantis out against Trump
The night’s debate began chaotically. The candidates talked in the mouths of both each other and the presenters, in order to get more speaking time.
The man who is currently best placed to challenge Donald Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis came out hard against Trump from the start. He was clearly unhappy that Trump did not participate in the debate.
– Donald Trump is missing. He should be on this stage tonight, DeSantis said, to cheers from the audience.
Ron DeSantis went to great lengths to blame Trump for the high inflation.
Foto: Mark J. Terrill / AP
DeSantis also went to great lengths to blame Trump for the high inflation.
– Trump took on 7.8 trillion in debt, adding to the inflation we have now, DeSantis said.
With the exception of Chris Christie, the candidates have so far been careful to criticize Trump. The reason is probably that Trump is very popular among many Republican voters.
– They will call you Donald Duck
Christie also believes that Trump should have been on stage tonight. He turned his head directly to the camera and said.
Chris Christie
Foto: MIKE BLAKE / Reuters
– Donald, I know you’re watching. You can’t resist it, Christie said.
– Trump is hiding in his golf clubs and will not show up here to answer questions like the rest of us, said the former governor of New Jersey.
– If you keep doing that, nobody up here will call you Donald Trump any more. They will call you Donald Duck, he said to laughter from the audience.
Doug Burgum, Chris Christie, Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy, Tim Scott og Mike Pence under nattens debatt.
Foto: Mark Terrill / AP
Trump barely mentioned the opposing candidates
Trump barely mentioned his opponents when, at the same time as the debate, he addressed striking auto workers in Detroit.
Workers on the floor of the auto industry have become wage losers in the United States, while their top executives are making money like never before. The case has received a lot of attention in the United States.
Trump, for his part, was most concerned with criticizing incumbent President Joe Biden.
Trump addressed striking workers at a Michigan auto plant.
Photo: MATTHEW HATCHER / AFP
Only half an hour into the speech did he mention his main challenger Ron DeSantis.
– He wanted to destroy Social Security, now he’s backing down, Trump said, before the focus returned to Biden.
Economy, inflation and immigration
Tonight’s debate took place at the iconic Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, in Simi Valley, California.
The library of the 40th President of the United States also hosted the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Republican presidential debates.
The candidates visited a number of topics, such as the economy and inflation, immigration and the situation along the Mexican border, as well as the relationship with China.
The danger of a shutdown of the American state apparatus was also on the agenda.
Chris Christie believes that voters should blame everyone in Washington, DC if they do not agree on the budget by the deadline.
Photo: ROBYN BECK / AFP
– Voters should blame everyone in Washington, DC
Candidate Chris Christie was asked directly who he thinks voters should blame, if Congress does not reach an agreement on the budget by October 1, and the state has to shut down.
“The voters should blame everybody in Washington, D.C. They were sent down there to do a job and they have failed to do the job,” he said.
Also on the stage in California, workers in the car industry’s situation were discussed. Both businessman and billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy and former Vice President Mike Pence also expressed their sympathy for the striking auto workers.
Pence thinks Biden’s car policy with a focus on the transition to electric cars is good for China and bad for Detroit.
Vivek Ramaswamy, Tim Scott og Mike Pence.
Photo: ROBYN BECK / AFP
Who can challenge Trump?
The list of Republican presidential candidates for 2024 is shrinking, while the requirements to be able to stand in the debate are constantly increasing.
Of the eight candidates who stood in the last debate, only former governor of Arkansas, Asa Hutchinson, is no longer in the race to become the Republican presidential candidate.
Tonight’s debate consists of the following presidential candidates:
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley South Carolina Senator Tim Scott Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy Former Vice President Mike Pence Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum
The debate will take place at the iconic Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, in Simi Valley, California
Photo: ROBYN BECK / AFP
A new measurement from American NBC showed that 59 percent would still vote for Trump.
It was clear ahead of the next man on the list, Ron DeSantis with 16 percent of the vote. While it is very even between the other candidates, we are to believe NBC’s poll.
With such a superior Trump, there is therefore great tension as to who can take second place and challenge the former president.
Ron DeSantis has been seen as Trump’s main challenger as the Republican presidential nominee.
Photo: Pontus Höök
2023-09-28 00:47:48
#Donald #Trump #opts #debate #Republican #presidential #candidates
