In Simi Valley, California, on Wednesday night, candidates for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024 had their second debate. Although former President Donald Trump was not there, he loomed large over the gathering.
Trump, who currently has a commanding lead in the crowded field, was criticized by several contenders, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, for not being on stage to defend his record. Trump has yet to participate in any Republican debate.
However, during the debate, Trump was in Michigan giving a speech at a factory that makes auto parts. According to the AFL-CIO, Drake Enterprises’ plant is a non-union workplace. Other sources with knowledge of the matter claim that it has nothing to do with the UAW or the ongoing strikes.
Here are a few of the night’s most noteworthy performances by the 2024 presidential candidates. At the second debate, Trump critics are more welcome. The Republican candidates criticized Trump while concentrating more on Republican goals and criticizing President Biden.
Christie referred to Trump by name and charged that he skipped the debate out of fear. Trump, he claimed, merits the moniker “Donald Duck.”
Christie remarked, “You’re not here tonight because you’re terrified of taking the platform and defending your record. “You’re avoiding these situations. And now I’ll tell you what will happen. You proceed to do that. You won’t be referred to as Donald Trump any longer up here. You will be referred to as Donald Duck.
Christie’s criticism of Trump was actually met with a few chuckles, unlike in the previous debate in Wisconsin where it was rebuffed.
DeSantis also criticized Trump for missing the debate right away. “You know who else is not present? Donald Trump is not present, according to DeSantis. He ought to be tonight on this stage. He has an obligation to you to defend his record of increasing the national debt by $7.8 trillion. That paved the way for the current inflation.
Christie’s criticism of Trump was actually met with a few chuckles, unlike in the previous debate in Wisconsin where it was rebuffed.
DeSantis also criticized Trump for missing the debate right away. “You know who else is not present? Donald Trump is not present, according to DeSantis. He ought to be tonight on this stage. He has an obligation to you to defend his record of increasing the national debt by $7.8 trillion. That paved the way for the current inflation.
‘Pro-life’ and abortion
Republicans continue to view abortion as a “very delicate” topic, according to recent comments made by Trump. More than a year after the Supreme Court restored abortion rights with the help of three of his nominees, Trump has been cautioning Republicans to be careful how they broach the subject.
During the debate, DeSantis pushed back on Trump’s recent remarks that politicians who oppose abortion frequently lose elections because they “do not know how to discuss this topic,” as well as his condemnation of DeSantis’ decision to sign a six-week abortion ban as a “terrible mistake.”
DeSantis reiterated his earlier criticism of Trump for skipping the discussion and demanded that Trump address the matter directly on the stage, saying, “I reject this idea that pro-lifers are to blame for mid-term defeats.” To address the fentanyl overdose problem, Christie used the abortion topic as a springboard. “If you’re pro-life, you’ve gotta be pro-life for the entire life,” Christie stated.
Many of his rivals for the Republican nomination have had trouble staking out stances on issues like whether they’d support a national abortion ban and what gestational limits they’d accept at a time when surveys show voters mainly support abortion access in most or all cases. By running for office as the former president whose Supreme Court nominees reversed Roe v. Wade, Trump can essentially avoid these issues.
Republican apathy toward young voters is criticized by Ramaswamy.
Ramaswamy explained his recent choice to create a TikTok account as a part of his endeavor to connect with young Americans given the app’s popularity among Gen Z and Millennials in answer to an inquiry about it.
“As the Democrats spread like wildfire, winning over the following generation three to one. There is only one Republican who makes a big deal about appealing to young people. I am that person.
The first millennial and youngest contender in the GOP primary campaign is the 38-year-old businessman.
Additionally, it is anticipated that millennial and Gen Z voters (those under 42) would continue to increase as a share of the electorate and make up about half of it by the following election in 2024. Additionally, both generations have consistently supported Democratic candidates in previous presidential elections. Ramaswamy is also in favor of the divisive measure of increasing the voting age to 25.
Republicans running for office have stated that they want ‘parental permission’ rules for youngsters who change their gender identification.
Many of the contenders cited their desire for schools to alert parents if their child’s gender identification changes.
Ramaswamy asserted that “parents have the right to know” whether their children are attempting to express their gender. Aside from that, he spoke offensive things about parents who support their transgender children and referred to gender affirming medical treatment as “barbaric.”
Candidates were also questioned with the rise in violence against LGBTQ Americans. When asked what he intended to do, Pence generally avoided the topic in favor of expressing his support for “parental rights” legislation, which he claims is intended to “protect our kids from this radical gender ideology.”
The number of measures restricting access to gender affirming treatment for children has increased in recent years, mainly in states with Republican governors. Only a small portion of those measures have so far been approved, and several have even been struck down by the courts. Advocates contend that current legislation has made it more difficult for young people to receive medical care, which might have a detrimental effect on their mental health.
Pence favors the ‘expedited’ execution of mass murderers.
When questioned about the epidemic of mass shootings in America, many of which still occur in schools, the former vice president stated he wanted to hasten the imposition of criminal punishments on those responsible for these heinous crimes.
“I am sick of these mass shootings,” he declared.
If elected, Pence promised to work to hasten the execution of mass murderers. As a result, he assured them that they would “meet their fate in months, not years.”
Trump mocks Republican opponents during the debate
Before bringing up the second GOP debate, Trump spoke to Michigan autoworkers for 30 minutes.
He mocked his Republican competitors and cited his advantage in the polls, implying that they were vying for positions in his upcoming administration.
“We are in a competition with job applicants. They are all applying for jobs, according to Trump. “They are all seeking employment. Anything will do, Secretary of something. In fact, they use VP. Has a VP been spotted anywhere?
With job applicants, we are in competition. They are all applying for jobs, according to Trump. “They are all seeking employment. Anything will do, Secretary of something. In fact, they use VP. Has a VP been spotted anywhere?
Another indication that Trump is concentrating on Biden and looking ahead to the general election. Biden was in Michigan the day before Trump’s visit, joining union autoworkers on the picket line.
Both Trump and Biden won the White House with the support of Michigan voters: Trump in 2016 and Biden in 2020. Voters from the unions generally won those elections.
Candidates comment on President Biden attending the picket line of auto workers
Biden came under fire from potential Republican presidential candidates for joining UAW members on the picket line on Tuesday. This week, Biden joined a picket line for the first time as the president of the United States.
The president, according to Scott, “should not be on the picket line, he should be on the southern border.”
The president, according to Pence, should be on the “unemployment line.”
Ramaswamy chose to concentrate on the employees. He claimed to be to blame for their financial problems, but he acknowledged that the workers’ discontent is understandable. Ramaswamy claimed that while he “has sympathy for the workers,” he “has no patience with union bosses.”
However, he did claim that some of the striking employees were playing the victim and remarked, “Victimhood is a choice.”
— Elena Moore, Sarah McCammon, and Franco Ordonez all contributed to this article.