Wednesday's fourth debate between candidates for the 2024 Republican Party presidential nomination saw the hopefuls make multiple mentions of former President Donald Trump.
Though Trump declined to participate in the debate, as he did with the previous three, he loomed large over the proceedings. The moderators brought Trump up early in the debate, noting he holds a sizable lead in national polls over the four candidates on stage—Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, ex-New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
Haley Sets Herself Apart From Trump
For her part, Haley painted Trump as a candidate who would cause chaos in the GOP while saying she'd be a "no-drama" president.
"My approach is different [from Trump's]: No drama, no vendettas, no whining," Haley said.
Newsweek reached out to a representative for Trump via email on Wednesday night for comment.
Christie Disputes Trump's Record on Trade
As he has throughout his campaign, Christie spent a great deal of his time on the stage attacking Trump. Remarking on Haley's praise of Trump's record on trade, Christie disputed her position.
"She said that Donald Trump was good on trade. He wasn't, and the proof that he wasn't good on trade with China is that all he did was impose tariffs, which raised the prices for every American," Christie said.
DeSantis Insinuates Trump Is Too Old
DeSantis also drew Christie's ire after the Florida lawmaker was asked if he felt Trump would be fit for office if elected to another term.
"Father Time is undefeated," DeSantis said.
"Why doesn't he just answer the question?" Christie interjected. "Is he fit to be president or isn't he?"
Elsewhere in the debate, Christie called Trump "an angry, bitter man who now wants to be back as president because he wants to exact retribution on anyone who has disagreed with him ..."
Christie Predicts Trump Will Go to Jail
The ex-New Jersey governor's most scathing remarks came when he offered a prediction of what will come of Trump's current legal issues.
"Picture in your minds, Election Day. You'll all be heading to the polls to vote. And that's something Donald Trump will not be able to do," Christie said. "Because he will be convicted of felonies before then, and his right to vote will be taken away."
After the comment, boos came from the audience
"You can boo about it all you like and continue to deny reality. But if we deny reality as a party, we're going to have four more years of Joe Biden," Christie said.
Unlike the other three candidates, Ramaswamy avoided disparaging the former president. At one point, he praised Trump before going on to claim without evidence that the January 6, 2021, siege on the U.S. Capitol now appears to be "an inside job."
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
fairness meter
To Rate This Article
About the writer
Jon Jackson is an Associate Editor at Newsweek based in New York. His focus is on reporting on the Ukraine ... Read more
