Key Takeaways From the Second GOP Debate

What's the story?

• Last night was the second GOP presidential debate, with seven contenders vying for the spotlight: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Sen. Tim Scott (S.C.), former Vice President Mike Pence, and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. 
• The candidates took digs at former President Donald Trump, who was absent for the debate, President Joe Biden, and each other while largely ignoring topics like abortion and healthcare.

Donald Trump

• The candidates took shots at Trump for his second absence last night. DeSantis said:

"Donald Trump is missing in action. He should be on this stage tonight."

• Christie called him "Donald Duck" for dodging the debate, claiming he fears facing questions about his record. He said:

"You're ducking these things, and let me tell you what's going to happen. You keep doing that, no one up here is going to call you Donald Trump anymore. We're going to call you Donald Duck."

• Instead of attending the debate, Trump held a rally at a non-union auto parts manufacturing plant in Michigan. Trump's event indicated opposition to Biden's decision to join autoworkers on the picket line in Detroit on Tuesday, which GOP candidates criticized. Scott said during the debate:

"Joe Biden should not be on the picket line; he should be on our Southern border working to close our Southern border."

Ramaswamy

• Similar to the first GOP debate, Haley and Ramaswamy clashed. After Ramaswamy answered a question about his appearance in a TikTok video with social media personality Jake Paul, Haley said:

"This is infuriating, because TikTok is one of the most dangerous social media apps that we can have. Honestly, every time I hear you, I feel a little bit dumber for what you say."

• The entrepreneur was criticized for ties to China by many candidates. Scott went after Ramaswamy, saying his business record showed collaboration with the Chinese Communist Party. 
• Ramaswamy also said the U.S. should cut off Ukraine's funding. He argued:

"Just because Putin's an evil dictator does not mean Ukraine is good."

• To this, Haley said:

"A win for Russia is a win for China. I forgot, you like China."

Healthcare

• DeSantis and Pence both dodged questions regarding healthcare despite the moderators' efforts to pin down their answers. When asked about the Trump administration's failure to end the Affordable Care Act, Pence instead talked about mass gun violence. DeSantis was asked why 2.5 million Florida residents don't have health insurance. Instead of offering an explanation, the governor talked about inflation. 
• On the other hand, Haley readily debated healthcare — arguing for more transparency in insurance prices, less power for insurance companies, and overhauling lawsuit rules to make it harder to sue doctors. She asked:

"How can we be the best country in the world and have the most expensive health care in the world?"

Inappropriate comments from Christie and Pence

• While debating the power of teacher unions, Christie attacked President Biden for "sleeping with a member of the teachers union," making an odd and inappropriate shot at First Lady Jill Biden, an educator. 
• Pence followed up with a comment about his wife, former Second Lady Karen Pence, a non-union educator:

"By way of full disclosure, Chris, you mentioned the president's situation. My wife isn't a member of the teachers union, but I've got to admit, I've been sleeping with a teacher for 38 years. Full disclosure."

Moderators reign in participants

• The moderators struggled to control the candidates, who kept speaking over each other when responding to questions. 
• Burgum and Scott seemingly faced pressure to interject to make their voices heard. One moderator had to threaten to cut off Burgum's mic if he persisted. Perino said to the governor:

"We have all these questions, we're gonna get to you, we're gonna come back to you. There's lots of time."

How do you feel about the second GOP debate?

-Jamie Epstein