GOP candidates spar in third debate

Five Republican presidential candidates debated in Miami on Wednesday night, covering everything from the “New Cold War” with China to the height of former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley’s pumps. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis criticized former President Donald Trump for again skipping a debate, saying Trump owes people an explanation for his decisions in the White House. DeSantis later said that as president, he would build a border wall and “have Mexico pay for it like Donald Trump promised” through fees on foreign worker remittances. Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy challenged the debate’s moderators, yielding time from his first question for the NBC anchors to answer if they pushed “Hillary-Clinton-made-up disinformation.” Ramaswamy also came after Haley throughout the night, calling her “Dick Cheney in 3-inch heels” and criticizing her daughter for previously using TikTok. Haley clarified she wears 5-inch heels before pivoting to attack President Joe Biden for a weak response to the Gaza war and failure to stand up to Iran. U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina highlighted the importance of Christian principles at America’s core, saying he wants to win the “war on conservative Christian values.”

Where was there consensus? All candidates unanimously supported backing Israel in wiping out the terrorist organization Hamas. They also backed varying levels of pro-life legislation. Scott supported a federal law protecting infants after 15 weeks of gestation, while former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie supported states setting their protections for the unborn. The candidates also supported tighter border control to ebb the flow of fentanyl, and they condemned the Chinese-owned social media app TikTok, despite moderators pointing out that Ramaswamy actively campaigns on TikTok.

Dig deeper: Listen to Carolina Lumetta’s report on where voters stand ahead of Wednesday’s debate.