The Best Attack? You’rE ‘Dick Cheney in three-inch heels'
This Republican presidential debate saw tensions reach new heights as candidates took jabs at each other, the media, and even the Republican National Committee.
Vivek Ramaswamy used his time on stage to call for RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel to resign, blaming her leadership for the GOP's recent losses in Tuesday's elections. Many in the audience said afterward that the millionaire biotech entrepreneur made few friends on or off the stage.
Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy called on Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel to resign at the start of the third GOP debate Wednesday night, citing the party’s losses in the election this week.
“If you want to come on stage tonight and you want to look the GOP voters in the eye and tell them you resign, I will turn over, yield my time to you,” he said, directing his comment to Mrs. McDaniel, who spoke ahead of the event being held in Miami.
Ramaswamy wasn't the only one attacking McDaniel. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis also took aim at former President Donald Trump, blaming him for the party's losses and urging him to explain why he should get another chance.
But Haley, DeSantis, and others still showed support for Trump, with Haley calling him the "right president at the right time."
Ramaswamy, however, blamed the "cancer of the Republican establishment" for the party's losses.
The debate also saw candidates attacking the media, with Ramaswamy calling for moderators including former Fox News host Tucker Carlson and podcast host Joe Rogan. He also took aim at NBC's Kristen Welker, asking if she still believed in the debunked Trump-Russia collusion.
Mr. Ramaswamy said Israel had the right to defend itself, but he wanted to “be careful to avoid making the mistakes from the establishment of the past.”
He asked: “Do you want a leader from a different generation who’s going to put this country first, or do you want Dick Cheney in three-inch heels? In which case, we’ve got two of them onstage tonight.”
Ms. Haley addressed the barb a few minutes later, saying that Mr. Ramaswamy was wrong about her footwear.
“They’re five-inch heels,” she said. “And I don’t wear them unless you can run in them. The second thing I will say is, I wear heels. They’re not for a fashion statement. They’re for ammunition.”
While tension was high, the candidates did discuss important issues such as foreign policy and the economy. With the field narrowed down to just five candidates, there was hope for a more thoughtful debate, but it quickly became clear that it would be another aggressive showdown.
Former President Trump was noticeably absent from the debate. Instead, he has urged his 2024 GOP competitors to drop out of the race and endorse his bid.
Trump's rally in Hialeah, Florida is about 15 miles away from the debate stage and less than a 30-minute drive from downtown Miami. It kicked-off an hour before the debate.
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His competitors have repeatedly called him out for not participating in the debates and have urged him to drop out of the race.
With the primaries heating up and the Republican National Committee setting strict qualification rules for the debates, it remains to be seen how this race will ultimately unfold. But one thing is for sure, the tensions within the party are only growing stronger as the candidates battle it out for the GOP nomination.