Without front-runner Donald Trump on the stage at Wednesday’s Republican presidential primary debate, much of the direct attacks were aimed at Vivek Ramaswamy, who has seen his popularity rise in a number of recent polls.
The entrepreneur was primarily criticized for his lack of political experience, including a foreign-policy rebuke from former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley.
She accused him of expressing insufficient support for Ukraine in that country’s ongoing war with Russia, claiming that “once Russia should take Ukraine, Poland and the Baltics are next,” resulting in a world war.
Haley went on to denounce Russian President Vladimir Putin and accused Ramaswamy of “choosing a murderer over a pro-American country.”
Both candidates raised their voices during the back-and-forth exchange, including when Ramaswamy joked about Haley’s “future career on the boards” of defense firms Lockheed Martin and Raytheon.
The former South Carolina governor shot back: “Under your watch, you will make America less safe. You have no foreign policy experience, and it shows.”
Although Haley’s interventionist rhetoric drew some support from the audience, a number of prominent conservatives suggested her policies would endanger the United States and the world.
Nicki Haley is the worst candidate on the stage.
She would start WW3 on day one.
— Marjorie Taylor Greene 🇺🇸 (@mtgreenee) August 24, 2023
Of course, Haley was not the only candidate to take on Ramaswamy during the debate.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie claimed that he “sounds like ChatGPT” and compared him unfavorably to a former president.
“The last person in one of these debates who stood in the middle of the stage and said, ‘What’s a skinny guy with an odd last name doing up here?’ was Barack Obama,” Christie said. “And I’m afraid we’re dealing with the same type of amateur.”
Ramaswamy was ready with a retort.
Referencing Christie’s effusive display toward the then-president in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in 2012, he said: Reacting to the attack, Vivek Ramaswamy replied: “Give me a hug like you did to Obama, and you’ll help elect me just like you did to Obama. Give me the damn hug, brother.”
Former Vice President Mike Pence also piled on Ramaswamy by citing his lack of experience, insisting that “now is not the time for on-the-job training” and “we don’t need to bring in a rookie.”
