The third debate of the Republican presidential candidates, Donald Trump is absent

2023-11-09 07:23:58, Kosova & Bota CNA

The third debate of the Republican presidential candidates, Donald Trump is

In the first debate since the war between Israel and Hamas broke out, all five Republican presidential candidates declared strong support for Israel. But the candidates clashed over China and Ukraine as they face mounting pressure to narrow the gap with Mr Donald Trump, who again did not take part in the debate.

At the center of the third debate were the candidates Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley, the latter has appeared as a competitor in several national polls for the second place where the governor of Florida is ranked.

Ms Haley, who has been governor of South Carolina and US ambassador to the United Nations, said she would end trade relations with China "until they stop killing Americans with fentanyl, something that Ron he still hasn't said he will," she said.

Mr. DeSantis said, "Haley welcomed Chinese investment in her state," referring to real estate and economic development deals.

Ms. Haley then accused Mr. DeSantis of deleting records on official websites to hide that Florida had presented itself as welcoming to Chinese businesses.

All five contenders on the stage faced a new urgency to narrow the gap in support Mr. Trump enjoys as the Iowa caucuses, a test of Republican candidates, approach.

Trump will not participate in the presidential debates
August 21, 09:04

Many of the candidates have sharply criticized each other in the hope of increasing support as possible competitors against the former president.

They have emphasized their differences on foreign policy, but have also sharply rebuked Mr Trump for his criticism of the Israeli prime minister after the Hamas attack and describing the group that attacked Israel as 'very smart'.

Candidates Tim Scott, Senator of South Carolina, Chris Christie, former governor of New Jersey and Vivek Ramaswamy, entrepreneur in the field of biotechnology, also participated in the debate.

Voicing support for Israel, some candidates said they would pressure universities and colleges to combat anti-Semitism.

The rivalry between Mr. DeSantis and Ms. Haley has intensified in recent weeks, as a popular poll in Iowa shows growing support for the former governor. There is also a growing interest among donors and voters in Ms. Haley.

According to the latest Quinnipiac University poll, former President Donald Trump enjoys the most support among Republicans, with 64 percent support, followed by Ron DeSantis with 15 percent and Nikki Haley with 8 percent support. Mr. Trump did not even participate in the two previous debates.

The Republican Party has scheduled another debate on December 6. Then, the conditions for subsequent debates will be much stronger, further reducing the number of Republican candidates who will be able to participate in future party debates./ VOA