By James Oliphant and Gram Slattery
In Miami, five candidates vying to disrupt Donald Trump’s path to the 2024 Republican presidential nomination converged for the party’s third debate. Meanwhile, the former president held a separate campaign rally across town. Here are some key takeaways from the heated debate:
BLAMING THE REPUBLICANS’ RECENT LOSSES
Following a series of election setbacks at the hands of Democrats, the candidates expressed their frustrations on the debate stage. “I’m sick of Republicans losing,” declared Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, highlighting his successful re-election in contrast to Republican losses, including Trump’s defeat in 2020. The blame game also extended to Ronna McDaniel, the chair of the Republican National Committee, with entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy holding her accountable for the party’s recent performance.
RAMASWAMY’S BOLD MOVES
Ramaswamy made waves by launching aggressive attacks on former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, DeSantis, and debate moderator Kristen Welker in a strategic effort to steal the spotlight from his higher-polling adversaries. In a discussion about the conflict in Israel, Ramaswamy cautioned against the potential for Haley and DeSantis to drag America into a bloody war, all while inserting a sly reference to speculation about DeSantis wearing lifts in his boots to appear taller. The debate reached a new level of intensity as Ramaswamy compared the two candidates to bellicose former vice president Dick Cheney wearing high heels. Despite slipping in the polls, Ramaswamy’s bold tactics are aimed at reclaiming the attention of voters and the media.
With digs at his opponents and a critique of the debate’s moderator, Ramaswamy is striving to regain his footing in the race.
(Reporting by James Oliphant in Miami and Gram Slattery in Washington; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Deepa Babington)
