GOP Candidates, Minus Trump, Spar at Fourth GOP Debate

Facts

• Four Republican presidential hopefuls took to the stage at the University of Alabama on Wednesday night as the GOP held its fourth primary debate. The candidates sparred over issues including the war in Gaza, transgender medical treatment for minors, and government censorship.¹
• Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former South Carolina Gov. and UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie participated in the fourth GOP debate which saw the party's smallest field. Former Pres. Donald Trump, the overwhelming frontrunner for the Republican nomination, skipped the debate again and held a closed-door fundraiser in Florida instead.²
• Haley came under fire early in the debate from DeSantis and Ramaswamy early in the debate for her refusal to ban transgender procedures for minors, which Haley denies. Ramaswamy continually called Haley corrupt for her position on the board of Boeing and held up a handmade sign that read 'Nikki = Corrupt.'³
• Christie came to Haley's defense and attacked Ramaswamy for his criticisms of Haley. He also used his time to call out former Pres. Donald Trump, whom he says his fellow Republican contenders should be targeting— he said that his three competitors on the stage may be afraid of calling out Trump 'because they have future aspirations.'⁴
• The debate aired on NewsNation and was moderated by former Fox News host Megyn Kelly, anchor Elizabeth Vargas, and Eliana Johnson of the Washington Free Beacon. Kelly promised to ask tough but fair questions to the candidates and received overwhelmingly positive reviews from Republican viewers.⁵
• While viewers were largely split over whom they believed won the debate, with more establishment figures voicing support for Christie and Haley, while mainstream conservatives favored DeSantis and pro-Trump pundits backed Ramaswamy. However, many pro-Trump personalities said the former president won the debate despite not physically attending.⁶

Sources: ¹Al Jazeera, ²ABC News, ³Associated Press, ⁴CNN, ⁵Washington Examiner and ⁶FOX News.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Washington Post. Wednesday’s GOP debate was filled with chaos and personal attacks, but Nikki Haley and Chris Christie preserved some level of decency amid the mudslinging. Meanwhile, Ramaswamy used his time to peddle far-right conspiracy theories while making misogynistic remarks about Haley and mocking Christie. While Trump is still the frontrunner in the GOP, Haley and Christie provided a welcomed sight of maturity and experience. Both candidates were poised and presidential, and it may be Nikki Haley overtaking second place to be the 'non-chaotic' alternative to the former president.
• Narrative B, as provided by The Gateway Pundit. Vivek Ramaswamy delivered a borderline revolutionary debate performance that rivaled the awakening Donald Trump started in 2015. While his three competitors voiced mildly different variations of mainstream conservatism, Ramaswamy attacked the key issues that no one has wanted to address, and that scares the establishment more than anything. Not only did Ramaswamy attack his opponents’ corruption but he called out the failed neocon policies of the past — the GOP establishment is hissing because they know that Vivek spoke real truth to power.

Predictions