Ron DeSantis (left), Donald Trump.Photo: Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty; Chip Somodevilla/Getty
Republican presidential candidates attempted to woo conservative voters — and grab some of the spotlight from former presidentDonald Trump— at Wednesday’s Republican presidential debate, which aired on Fox News.
Trump himself was not in attendance, having announced days earlier he planned to skip the debate. Instead, he gave an interview to former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who published it on X, the former social network known as Twitter.
Despite his absence, he was still a major topic of discussion among the other candidates on stage, who included Florida Gov.Ron DeSantis, former Vice PresidentMike Pence, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, U.S. Senator Tim Scott, Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Vivek Ramaswamy, and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum.
Early in the debate, the candidates were asked to raise their hands if they would support Trump as the 2024 Republican nominee, even if he was convicted of a crime. All raised their hands, except for Hutchinson, 72. Christie, 60, later clarified that he would not support Trump.
“Someone’s got to stop normalizing this conduct,” Christie said. “Whether or not you believe that the criminal charges are right or wrong, the conduct is beneath the office of the president of the United States.”
Republican presidential candidates Chris Christie, Mike Pence, Ron DeSantis, and Vivek Ramaswamy.Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty
Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty
“It should have never happened, and in Florida, we led the country out of lockdown. We kept our state free and open. And I can tell you this, as your president, I will never let the deep state bureaucrats lock you down,” DeSantis said, adding that he would have firedDr. Anthony Fauciif he was president at the time.
Later,DeSantis saidhe would not send troops to Ukraine, but instead to the U.S.-Mexico border. He also refused to say if he supported a federal ban on abortion, although he joined the other candidates in identifying himself as “pro-life.”
“I’m going to stand on the side of life,” the Florida governor said, perNPR. “Look, I understand Wisconsin is going to do it different than Texas. I understand Iowa and New Hampshire are going to be different, but I will support the cause of life as governor and as president.”
But DeSantis distanced himself from that memo days ahead of the debate, sayinghe hadn’t read it. Still, the Florida governor stopped short of overtly criticizing Trump, who has been indicted four times in recent months and is mired in a number of other legal issues.
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Even on the heels of hisfour historic indictments, Trump’s support has not waned, with polls showing the former president sitting about 40 points ahead of the rest of the Republican candidates.
DeSantis, now situated in a distant second place, was once seen as a strong challenger to the former president, though he has struggled to get the support he expected since launching his campaign.
source: people.com
