GOP rivals tangle over foreign policy in tense 3rd debate: Recap

The Trump campaign Wednesday declared former President Trump the winner of the third GOP primary debate, which he did not attend, dismissing his rivals who were on stage as “cheap knockoffs.”

“Unless you’re a fan of cheap knockoffs or out-of-tune tribute bands, tonight’s GOP debate was a complete waste of time and money,” Chris LaCivita, a senior Trump campaign adviser said of the GOP debate in Miami.

Read more here.

—Brett Samuels

Senior Trump campaign adviser Chris LaCivita said former President Trump will not attend the next Republican primary debate, scheduled for Dec. 6 in Alabama.

“When you’re winning by 50 there’s no need to show up,” LaCivita told CBS News after Trump’s rally in Hialeah on Wednesday.

LaCivita indicated Trump participate in general election debates against President Biden.

– Brett Samuels

Republican presidential candidate Doug Burgum slammed the third GOP debate as “over two hours filled with petty attacks and in-fighting” in a statement on Wednesday.

“Voters learned why none of the career politicians on stage will be President and why political insiders have no business trying to artificially shrink the Republican field two months before the actual voting starts in Iowa and New Hampshire,” the North Dakota governor, who did not qualify for the third debate, said.

Though Burgum was not at the third debate, he did participate in the first two.

– Caroline Vakil

The candidates all shook hands with each other after the end of the debate, but Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy did not shake hands before exiting the stage.

Haley and Ramaswamy had an intense interaction earlier in the debate in which Ramaswamy referenced Haley’s daughter, saying that she used TikTok and the former UN ambassador “might want to take care of your family first” before criticizing Ramaswamy’s use of the platform.

“Leave my daughter out of your voice,” Haley told him.

Haley’s daughter came on stage with her after the debate ended.

— Jared Gans

Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy argued that Democrats should “end this farce that Joe Biden is gonna be your nominee.”

Ramaswamy described Biden as a “puppet for the managerial class” and argued that the president “should step aside, end his candidacy now.” He baselessly alleged Democrats were not being honest about who was actually running for president on the Democratic side.

Ramaswamy’s comments come as Biden faces several longshot Democratic challengers, including Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.), who announced his candidacy last month and argued that Biden shouldn’t be running again.

— Caroline Vakil

Vivek Ramaswamy said that “sexual responsibility for men” is what is missing from the abortion debate.

“We talked about access to contraception, adoption,” he said. “And also, here’s the missing ingredient in this movement: sexual responsibility for men.

“We live in an era of reliable genetic paternity tests that are 100% reliable, so we can say men deserve more responsibility so we can tell women, we’re all in this together. It’s not men’s rights versus women’s rights. It’s about human rights,” he continued.

He also blasted Republicans for not having an alternative to the abortion access constitutional amendment passed in Ohio on Tuesday, saying it’s part of the “Republican culture of losing.”

— Lauren Sforza

Chris Christie said the issue of abortion should be left to the states, avoiding debates over whether Congress should consider a 15-week abortion ban at a federal level.

“Conservative lawyers have been arguing that the federal government should have absolutely nothing to do with this issue constitutionally because it’s nowhere in the Constitution,” he said.

“Now we have people running to say, ‘Let’s short-circuit the states from doing what they need to do.’ And, ‘Let’s go right to some type of federal ban’ for a certain number of weeks,” he added.

“Look, the founders were really smart. And this is an issue that should be decided in each state, and I trust the people of this country, state by state, to make the call for themselves,” he continued.

Christie has previously shrugged off pushes for a federal abortion ban as the issue has become a focal point of the presidential campaign. In an election Tuesday, voters in Ohio passed a constitutional amendment solidifying the right to access abortion care.

— Nick Robertson

Former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley asked that voters not judge her for being “pro-life” during the third GOP debate.

“What I’ll tell you is as much as I’m pro-life, I don’t judge anyone for being pro-choice, and I don’t want them to judge me for being pro-life,” she said.

“So when we’re looking at this, there are some states that are going more on the pro-life side. I welcome that. There are some states that are going more on the pro-choice side – I wish that wasn’t the case, but the people decided,” she continued.

Haley’s comments come after a slew of races on Tuesday delivered wins for Democrats in states like Virginia and Ohio as Democrats leaned heavily into the issue of abortion.

— Caroline Vakil

Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley dismissed a question about what her former colleagues at the U.N. would think if the U.S. sent special forces to the southern border without prior notice to Mexican allies.

“I don’t care what my colleagues at the United Nations think,” she said.

— Sarah Fortinsky

Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) called on Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to declare support for a 15-week federal abortion ban.

“I would encourage Nikki and Ron to join me at a 15-week limit. It is in our nation’s best interest,” he said.

Scott’s comments came after Haley called for establishing a consensus on the issue of abortion in the aftermath of Ohio passing a ballot measure Tuesday to protect abortion access up to viability.

Haley said not enough votes in favor of a national ban exist in Congress, so a Republican president would not be able to get a ban enacted.

— Jared Gans

Nikki Haley took aim at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s environmental policies, calling the governor “a liberal when it comes to the environment.”

Haley made the remarks in response to a question about the reimposition of sanctions on Venezuelan oil, which prompted DeSantis to accuse the Biden administration of “going hat in hand” to foreign regimes rather than relying on domestic production.

Read more here.

— Zack Budryk

Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy lashed out at Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, also known as AMLO, whose term ends next September.

Ramaswamy said he would “build a good relationship” with López Obrador’s replacement, while vowing to use the U.S. military to seal both the Mexican and Canadian borders.

The front-runner for Mexico’s June elections is former Mexico City mayor Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, a member of López Obrador’s Morena party, and his chosen successor.

— Rafael Bernal

Abortion rights ballot initiatives have caught the anti-abortion movement “flat-footed,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said, when asked about the path forward after Tuesday’s election results.

Abortion rights have won in all seven states that have voted on them, including in Ohio on Tuesday. A constitutional amendment to protect abortion access passed with 57 percent of the vote.

— Nathaniel Weixel

Former President Trump wrapped up his remarks in Hialeah at 9:45 p.m. after roughly an hour and 20 minutes on stage.

The former president briefly bashed his rivals and called for the Republican Party to stop “wasting time” on the primary process, but otherwise focused most of his remarks on his own record and President Biden.

— Brett Samuels

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, who recently endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the GOP primary, reiterated her support for the candidate during the GOP debate.

“If you like what we are doing in Iowa – you’ll like @RonDeSantis’ vision for this country,” she wrote in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “It’s about delivering results and pushing the conservative movement forward again! #gopdebate,” she added, attaching a photo of the two politicians.

— Sarah Fortinsky

Chris Christie took aim at President Biden over his administration’s calls for “pauses” in the Israel-Hamas war, emphasizing that the key to bringing prices down in the U.S. is the energy markets and stabilizing the Middle East.

“When they have an American president who knows that Israel must be defended, not with humanitarian pauses and not with suggestions for cease-fire, but with letting them know we will supply them with everything they need — that will also bring stability to the market,” Christie said.

Christie said that energy “is the key” to driving down prices for American families, saying that the president should make sure the war in Israel is resolved quickly and to “bring stability back.”

Biden and administration officials have been pressing Israel to agree to humanitarian pauses in the fighting to ensure the safety of hostages taken by Hamas and to get more aid into Gaza.

— Lauren Sforza

When pressed on whether they would raise the Social Security retirement age, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) was the only one who answered the question.

“I will protect your Social Security,” Scott said, before eventually adding “the answer is no.”

The other candidates noted that the programs are running out of money and will need some kind of reform, but they did not go into details about what they would do about it.

— Nathaniel Weixel

Ron DeSantis joked about knowing a “few people” who rely on Social Security in Florida during his response about how to keep the program sustainable.

“Well, as governor of Florida, I know a few people on Social Security, and I know it’s important,” he said.

DeSantis added that his grandmother lived until 91, and Social Security was her sole source of income, which he said is true for many senior citizens throughout the country.

— Jared Gans

Christie chastised wealthy Americans collecting social security, singling out wealthy investor Warren Buffet to say if he collects the retirement benefits, “shame on you, you shouldn’t be taking the money.”

Haley agrees to limiting benefits on the wealthy, noting Home Depot co-founder and GOP megadonor Bernie Marcus “can tell you he hates getting that check.”

— Taylor Giorno

Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis went head-to-head on China.

DeSantis took aim at Haley’s relationship with China during her tenure as governor of South Carolina, accusing her of writing “the Chinese ambassador a love letter.”

“She welcomed them in to South Carolina, gave [China] land near a military base, wrote the Chinese ambassador a love letter saying what a great friend they were,” he said. “I banned China from buying land in this state. And we kicked out [adversaries], and we kicked the Confucius Institutes out of our universities. We’ve recognized the threat, and we’ve acted swiftly and decisively.”

Haley took aim at DeSantis’s record on China, pointing at the presence of manufacturers of Chinese military planes in Florida. 

“Ron, you are the chair of your economic development agency that as of last week said Florida is the ideal place for Chinese businesses,” Haley said. “Not only that, you have a company that is a manufacturer of Chinese military planes. You have it,” she continued, claiming that the company was expanding two training sites at two airports in Florida. 

DeSantis responded, saying that he abolished the agency. 

“And of course, we banned China from buying land,” he said. “Not exactly a great recruiting pitch if you’re banning them from purchasing land at all.” 

— Julia Manchester

When asked about policies to alleviate disproportionate economic impacts on rural communities, Haley proposed cutting taxes on the middle class and eliminating federal gas and diesel taxes.

“I can tell you what we’re seeing now in America is the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poor,” Haley said.

— Taylor Giorno

Republican presidential candidates took aim at President Biden’s signature economic platform.

“Bidenomics is a lie,” Ramaswamy said.

DeSantis ripped “Bidenomics” and the Federal Reserve’s approach to bringing down high inflation, which has led to 22-year high interest rates.

He also said ripping up executive orders and regulation would help give Americans “economic breathing room.”

— Taylor Giorno

Scott called for a ban on TikTok along with other Chinese companies he said are being used to “spy” on Americans.

“If we can eliminate TikTok, that is a first step, but it’s not just TikTok. China continues to spy on our kids, but they’re also buying our farmlands,” he said.

Scott said we need to use the “tools in our tool kit” to prevent China from “buying farmland near our bases” as well as from “stealing our intellectual property” to compete against the U.S.

— Rebecca Klar

One key issue that has yet to come up during the third Republican debate is the issue of abortion — which is widely credited for Democrats’ wins in states including Ohio, Virginia and Pennsylvania.

The absence of the issue during the debate is notable given that several candidates lamented Republican losses during the 2023 elections, in which Ohio passed a ballot measure that enshrined abortion protections into the state Constitution.

The issue was also credited for helping Democrats win full control of the Virginia state Legislature despite Virginia Republicans trying to counter that messaging with a 15-week ban on the procedure with several exceptions afterward.

— Caroline Vakil

High prices have come up consistently throughout the debate, and now candidates have an opportunity to lay out their economic proposals. 

Inflation has fallen from its 9 percent peak last summer, but it remains above the Federal Reserve’s 2 percent target rate.

— Taylor Giorno

Nikki Haley responded sharply after Vivek Ramaswamy mentioned her daughter in a discussion about TikTok.

Ramaswamy said Haley had previously criticized him for his use of TikTok during his campaign but “her own daughter” was using the app, telling her “you might want to take care of your family first.”

“Leave my daughter out of your voice,” Haley responded.

Boos were heard from the audience following Ramaswamy’s remark.

“You’re just scum,” Haley said a moment later.

— Jared Gans

The debate over whether to ban the popular video sharing app TikTok, owned by Chinese-based parent company ByteDance, emerged as a flashpoint in the debate.

Candidates hit the app over its Chinese owner as well as its impact on youth on the app.

— Rebecca Klar

Christie says he would ban TikTok in the U.S. week one, noting Facebook and X — the company formerly known as Twitter — aren’t in China.

TikTok has been under significant scrutiny from U.S. policymakers, with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew hauled before a congressional committee this spring.

— Taylor Giorno

Vivek Ramaswamy described Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as a “Nazi” when criticizing his Ukrainian government as “undemocratic” for how it has responded to Russia’s invasion.

“Ukraine is not a paragon of democracy,” he said. “This is a country that has banned 11 opposition parties. It has consolidated all media into one state TV media arm. That’s not democratic. It has threatened not to hold elections this year unless the U.S. forks over more money. That is not democratic.”

“It celebrated a Nazi in its ranks — the comedian in cargo pants, a man called Zelensky — doing it in their own ranks. It is not democratic,” he continued.

— Nick Robertson

Debate moderator Kristen Welker scolded Vivek Ramaswamy, telling him “we ask the questions” after he peppered Nikki Haley with questions over her stance on Ukraine.

Earlier during the debate, Ramaswamy attacked the debate moderators who he accused of bias against Republicans.