The Fourth GOP Debate Broken Down
Written by Swathi Ram, Edited by Akhil Baidya
The fourth and final GOP debate took place Wednesday, December 6 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. According to the Republican National Committee, candidates were required to have at least 80,000 unique donors, with at least 200 donors in each state and over 20 states or territories. Additionally, they had to have registered at least 6% in two qualifying national polls or one national poll and two polls from early-voting states (Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, or Nevada). Former President Donald Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie qualified. However, Trump, the GOP front-runner, has decided not to attend this debate (as he did with all the others) in favor of a Florida fundraiser for a super PAC supporting him.
Wednesday night’s debate was very energetic, with lots of accusations thrown around. Some news sources have connected that to the pointed questions, especially from Megyn Kelly, the debate moderator.
“You entered the race with so much momentum, and are now trailing in the polls. Is it fair to say that the voters are telling you not, ‘No’, but ‘Not now?’”, she inquired of Desantis.
“Aren’t you too tight with the banks and billionaires to win over the GOP’s working-class base, which mostly wants to break the system, not elect someone beholden to it?”, she probed Haley.
“How could you possibly be the nominee of a party that does not appear to like you very much?”, she confronted Christie.
Many of these questions were met with defensive responses and attacks on other opponents. Other debate topics ranged from Israel to the Southern Border, to inflation, to Donald Trump, and finally ended with which presidents the candidates would draw inspiration from during their own presidencies. Topics notably absent from the debate included abortion and gun violence.
This debate was a massive battle between all four candidates on that stage, each trying to one-up the other, and in some cases Trump who, according to 538, currently has almost 60% of the vote from the Republican party. All four candidates performed to make the next day’s headlines, with both Ramaswamy and Desantis attacking Haley, Haley maintaining a very calm composure, and Christie playing moderator. Keep reading for the highs and lows of each candidate’s performance.
Vivek Ramaswamy
Vivek Ramaswamy, unsurprisingly the man with the most speaking time (a little over 20 minutes), was constantly on the offense, especially when it came to Haley. Although he spoke with conviction and confidence that may sway some voters, he made several baseless claims that he stated were backed by new evidence, including that the January 6 riot was an “inside job” and the 2020 election was stolen by “Big tech”. Additionally, he called the “great replacement theory”, a speculation by far-right extremists that suggests people are trying to diminish white influence in society, a “basic statement of the democratic party’s platform”. He also called Haley “corrupt” and a “fascist neocon” several times, and said that she couldn’t name three Ukrainian provinces (to loud hisses). When Christie came to her defense, his response was, “So do everybody a favor. Just walk yourself off that stage, enjoy a nice meal and get the hell out of this race.” That isn’t all! Towards the end of the night, when asked whether he doubts Nikki’s Christian faith, he held up a sign that he had written on his legal pad (all four candidates had them to take notes). The sign read, in all caps, “NIKKI = CORRUPT.”
Ron Desantis
Ron Desantis, who also spoke for over twenty minutes, arguably had his best debate performance yet. When asked whether he should drop out from the race, as he is trailing Trump by quite a margin and that doesn’t seem to be changing, he replied with “I’m sick of hearing about these polls” and about Republicans “who are not willing to stand up and fight back against what the left is doing to this country.” He highlighted the fact that he was the only candidate to have served and described several policies he enacted as governor of Florida. He attacked Haley, saying she “caves any time the left comes after her, anytime the media comes after her”. His comments on transgender kids resulted in big cheers from the crowd.
Conversely, his biggest weak point according to several analysts was when he was asked the question ‘Is Trump mentally “fit” to be president. “Father time is undefeated”, he commented. “I think we need to have somebody younger.” His evasion of the question led to back-and-forth squabbling between him and Christie, which made him appear wishy-washy. Additionally, when closely observing his speeches, some of his stories and catchphrases were repetitions from previous debates.
Nikki Haley
Nikki Haley projected quite the air of confidence, reminding us that she is rapidly gaining popularity (the reason she was the target of so many attacks). She commented that her opponents were “just jealous” of her popularity among donors. When arguing with Ron Desantis about whether or not she killed a bill relating to gender politics in the bathroom, she declared that “Ron has continued to lie because he is losing.” Later, when Vivek Ramaswamy held up his logbook with the words “NIKKI = CORRUPT”, the moderator inquired whether she would like to respond. “No, it’s not worth my time to respond to him,” she replied.
Her one area of weakness was her reactions to Ron Desantis’s jabs. “That’s not true! Quit lying!”, she exclaimed several times throughout the night. On the other hand, Haley surprised viewers by ending the debate with a condemnation of her former boss, saying “You can’t defeat Democrat chaos with Republican chaos, and that’s what Donald Trump gives us… [with me there will be] no drama, no vendettas, no whining.”
Chris Christie
Chris Christie had one of his best nights yet but still did not succeed in swaying voters, likely due to his relatively progressive stance. He attacked the other three candidates several times, saying that they would support Trump even if he was convicted of federal felonies. He stated that they were too timid to take out Trump, which others (Xi Jinping, criminals) would see and take advantage of. Christie also continued to make plain his disapproval of the former president, declaring that “Donald Trump will not be voting, because he will be a convicted felon.”
The unexpected highlight of the night was Christie’s response to Ramaswamy’s declaration that Haley couldn’t find three Ukrainian provinces on a map. Christie jumped in to defend Haley, saying that although he disagrees with her on some issues, he has known her for 12 years. He described her as a smart, accomplished woman and commented that Ramaswamy should stop insulting her basic intelligence. In response, it appeared that Haley mouthed ‘thank you’.
The debate can be (partially) summed up by Chris Christie’s words. Ron Desantis went on with his “memorized answers”, and Vivek Ramaswamy was the “drunk driver of the debate stage”. Others remarked that Haley was less aggressive than usual and Christie did a better job defending Haley than vouching for himself.
In all seriousness, it was a good day for all four candidates but there had to have been a winner. According to five of seven Iowa GOP voters, it was Haley. “I think that people shoot arrows at the people who are winning. I think she’s winning,” one voter remarked. “Her foreign policy experience really showed through strong tonight. And she has that legislative experience. So I think she shone through,” another observed. According to the individuals who have decided to vote for her in the Iowa caucuses, it really came down to her foreign policy experience, momentum, and the high likelihood of her beating Joe Biden.
One of the seven Iowa voters credited Desantis as the winner of the debate. “I think he has a record of winning. We have to beat Joe Biden… He can do that with his policy and record,” she stated. She has decided to vote for him in the Iowa caucuses, due to his record and voter interactions. What of the final Iowa voter? “It looked so orchestrated and chaotic,” the man said of the debate. “I think Trump was [the winner of the debate].” He, like 60% of the Grand Old Party, plans to support Donald Trump in the 2024 election.
