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Republican candidates, led by Ron DeSantis, launched attacks on Donald Trump for skipping the second Republican presidential debate. They were striving to distinguish themselves in a crowded field that remains predominantly influenced by the former president.
The taunts from Trump’s Republican rivals came shortly after his speech in Michigan, where he rallied support from blue-collar workers in the rustbelt during a strike affecting the car sector.
At the Wednesday night debate, held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, the Florida governor criticized Trump, stating, “Donald Trump is missing in action — he should be on this stage tonight. He owes it to you to defend his record where they added $7.8tn to the debt that set the stage for the inflation that we have.”
Later, Chris Christie, the former New Jersey governor, joined in, accusing Trump of being “afraid” of being on stage and humorously calling him “Donald Duck.”
The debate began with rivals for the 2024 election blaming Joe Biden’s handling of the economy for the auto strike and criticizing his participation in a picket line with union workers. Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor, said, “Biden showed up on that picket line, but why are those workers actually there? It’s because of all the spending that he has pushed through in the economy that has raised the inflation.” Mike Pence, the former vice-president, added, “He doesn’t belong on a picket line, he belongs on an unemployment line. Bidenomics has failed. Joe Biden’s Green New Deal agenda is good for Beijing and bad for Detroit.”
However, while speaking in Michigan, Trump sought the endorsement of Shawn Fain, the United Automobile Workers president, saying, “Get your union leaders to endorse me, and I’ll take care of the rest.”
Fain has not yet endorsed Biden but has been openly critical of Trump, refusing to meet him in Michigan and stating, “there was a pathetic irony that the former president is going to hold a rally for union members at a non-union business.”
Trump has now skipped two Republican primary debates as he positions himself as the presumed GOP candidate, focusing his attacks on Biden instead of his fellow Republicans.
During the debate, some candidates also targeted each other. Tim Scott, the South Carolina senator, confronted Vivek Ramaswamy, the biotech investor, while Nikki Haley criticized DeSantis for his skepticism towards providing more aid for Ukraine, stating, “This is not a territorial dispute.”
The Reagan library holds symbolic significance for the Republican Party, even though traditional Reagan-era conservatism has been replaced by Trump-inspired populism and isolationism in recent years.
According to the 538.com average, since the first Republican debate on August 23, Trump’s lead in national polling over DeSantis has continued to grow, with 54% of primary voters supporting the former president compared to 13.8% for the Florida governor.
Haley has now moved into third place, receiving support from 6.3% of voters, equal to Ramaswamy.
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