Five GOP candidates sparred over foreign policy as former President Donald Trump rallied nearby on Nov. 8.
For two hours, five Republican presidential candidates sparred in a debate dominated by foreign policy questions and at times descended into personal attacks.
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, in particular, found herself both attacking and receiving attacks from rivals, most notably businessman Vivek Ramaswamy.
The Nov. 8 event in Miami competed against a rally by former President Donald Trump just a few miles away in Hialeah, Florida.
Here are some of the biggest takeaways from the debate:
Foreign Policy Dominated
“Given the critical issues we’re facing specifically on the world stage, we want everyone to hear every word you have to say,” moderator Lester Holt of NBC said in his introduction.
The broadcast didn’t disappoint in that regard, as moderators and speakers delved into the United States’ relationships with Israel, Ukraine, Venezuela, Taiwan, Iran, and other countries.
The debate allowed Mr. Ramaswamy to further differentiate himself from the competition, particularly Ms. Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, as he likened both of them to “Dick Cheney in three-inch heels.”
Ms. Haley and Mr. DeSantis talked over each other while discussing South Carolina’s relationship with China during Ms. Haley’s time as governor. New reporting from ABC suggests that her state was a major draw for Chinese investment while she was in office.
Mr. DeSantis said he would build a wall on the southern border of the United States “like Donald Trump promised.” He discussed a military response to the powerful drug cartels at the heart of human smuggling and drug trafficking across the southern border—measures that would necessarily entangle the governments of the United States and Mexico.
One of the ugliest moments of the night centered on foreign policy as Mr. Ramaswamy and Ms. Haley clashed over TikTok, a social media app with close links to China’s communist regime. Mr. Ramaswamy has been criticized for using it as a campaign tool to target young voters.
“How do you get TikTok banned if you use it?” moderator Hugh Hewitt, a conservative radio host, asked Mr. Ramaswamy.
By Nathan Worcester, Jackson Richman
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