Four takeaways from the fourth Republican debate: Haley is the target, Vivek is a conspiracy theorist, and no-one wants to dunk on Trump except Christie

Donald Trump emerged victorious simply by staying away, and the nation collectively yawned as the fourth Republican debate failed to disturb the upper echelons of television ratings.

One could be forgiven for thinking that Wednesday’s showdown in Tuscaloosa, Ala., was like any other: Republican candidates bashing each other, but neither doing enough to achieve a breakthrough moment.

But with the smallest debate field and 40 days before the crucial Iowa caucuses, this was one of the last and best chances to demonstrate political conviction.

And sometimes there was as much light as there was heat.

Here are the conclusions of the fourth Republican debate:

Hayley is seen as a clear danger

Not because she had a good night (although she did), but because the former South Carolina governor was the main target of attacks throughout the night, especially from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.

“I love the attention guys, thank you for that,” she said.

DeSantis accused Haley of not supporting a ban on gender-affirming health care for young people and opposing bathroom laws when she was governor, both of which she denied.

And he questioned whether she would act in the interests of ordinary Americans or Wall Street donors.

“We know from her history that Nikki will defer to these major donors when necessary, and that is unacceptable,” DeSantis said.

Ramaswamy hit her even harder, also citing her support from major donors and her tenure on the board of Boeing Co., and suggesting she went bankrupt when she left office.

“That sums up the fact that you are corrupt,” he said.

Hayley was ready for such an attack.

“As for the donors who support me, they are just jealous,” she told the audience. “They would like to be supported.”

The attacks and her responses made her the center of attention for the evening, with her name leading candidate searches on Google for much of the night, according to analytics service Google Trends.

Democrats won’t get help to topple Trump

Democratic strategists had hoped for a chaotic Republican primary, with rivals teaming up with each other to weaken the eventual nominee.

Just one problem: Donald Trump’s strength meant that three of the four people on stage Wednesday avoided directly attacking the leader for fear of alienating his base.

Chris Christie was the exception, as he was throughout the race. He called Trump a “dictator and a bully.”

He also pointed out the reluctance of his rivals.

“We’re 17 minutes into the debate and… these three are acting as if this race is between the four of us,” he said, before going on to describe how he was treated as “Voldemort.” in the tales of Harry Potter. , and everyone doesn’t want to say his name.

He was later booed when he said Trump would be convicted, and his rivals responded with silence to most of his comments.

Haley at one point joined in the criticism, saying Trump had not been tough enough on China.

But the moderators let them all off the hook and did not return to the topic until more than an hour had passed after the debate began.

Ramaswamy is a conspiracy theorist.

The biotech entrepreneur has thrilled viewers throughout the previous debates, being the loudest voice in the room and the most ace of the candidates.

On Wednesday, he took things to the next level and may have been his final appearance on the national debate stage.

He said the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, was an “inside job” and not an attack by Trump supporters – an idea promoted by the far right but widely debunked.

“The government has lied to us for 20 years about Saudi Arabia’s involvement in 9/11,” he said, citing another unproven conspiracy theory before moving on to a theory popular on Fox News that Democrats welcome illegal ethnic minorities. to maintain their power.

“The Great Replacement Theory is not some grand right-wing conspiracy theory, but a core statement of the Democratic Party platform.

“That the 2020 election was indeed stolen by big tech companies, that the 2016 election, the one Trump most certainly won, was also the one that was stolen from him by the national security establishment in the Trump-Russia collusion hoax they knew was false.’

These are all ideas scattered in the dark corners of the Internet, but without evidence.

Christie thinks his rivals are idiots

It took the former New Jersey governor nearly 14 minutes to call him to speak.

“Usually they don’t let me through, but okay, let’s go,” he said.

Up to this point, he had been leaning on the lectern, watching the other three candidates with a stunned expression.

And then he went. He directed his fire at those around him, calling Ramaswamy “the worst bully in America.”

He slammed DeSantis as the Florida governor danced around the question of whether Trump was fit to be president. “He doesn’t want to answer,” Christie said, pointing out what everyone could see.

The only person he didn’t attack was Hayley. In fact, he came to her defense – if only to better deal with Ramaswami, who questioned her intelligence.

“All he knows how to do, all he knows how to do, is insult good people,” Christie said, before claiming she had known Haley for 12 years, longer than Ramaswamy has been a Republican.