Republican debate recap: Front-runners sparred over border, Social Security

The third GOP debate took place Wednesday in Miami and aired on NBC.

According to the Republican National Committee, candidates included:

• Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

• Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

• Former South Carolina Gov. and U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley.

• Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy.

• South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott.

Former President Donald Trump skipped the event like he did the first two GOP debates this year and hosted his own rally nearby that took place on the same night at Ted Hendricks Stadium at Henry Milander Park in Hialeah.

Trump’s event was about 11 miles from the formal debate, which took place at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County. The performing arts center is in the heart of downtown Miami with a seating capacity of 2,400 people.

The NBC News Republican Primary Debate with partners Salem Radio Network and the Republican Jewish Coalition streamed live on NBCNews.com and Rumble.

"Meet the Press" moderator Kristen Welker, "NBC Nightly News" anchor Lester Holt and radio host Hugh Hewitt moderated.

Fact-checking the 3rd GOP debate: What Haley, DeSantis, others got right (and wrong)

Who won the debate? The front-runners sound off after 3rd face-off

After the debate, the Biden campaign excoriated the Republican field, nodding to Tuesday’s election night which saw sweeping losses for Republican candidates and issues in states across the country.

“Normally, after you lose, you take a moment to reflect and course correct. But in Donald Trump’s MAGA Republican Party, apparently you double down on the same extreme agenda that was soundly rejected last night in elections across the country. That’s what we witnessed tonight,” reads a written statement attributed to Biden’s campaign manager, Julie Chavez Rodriguez.

The Trump campaign took the opportunity to dismiss the former president’s GOP challengers.

“Unless you’re a fan of cheap knockoffs or out-of-tune tribute bands, tonight’s GOP debate was a complete waste of time and money,” Chris LaCivita, a top campaign adviser, said in a written statement.

The statement also appeared to strike a threatening tone toward DeSantis and Haley, saying that the two “need to get serious about their rapidly eroding political futures.”

“It’s up to DeSantis and Haley to determine if they want a political future … or not,” the statement said.

— Laura Gersony

Candidates try to outdo each other on border security, shrug off diplomatic concerns

Though it has been a major campaign issue among Republicans, immigration was not discussed in depth until near the end of the third Republican debate, when the candidates were asked how they would curb the flow of fentanyl into the U.S.

Fentanyl is a leading source of American drug overdose deaths, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.

Scott and Christie, first to answer, laid out similar plans. Both called for modernizing the technology used to monitor ports of entry, a move that has garnered bipartisan support on Capitol Hill, and said that addressing Americans’ mental health issues is needed to curb demand for those drugs.

Christie also said that he would sign an executive order that would send in the National Guard to partner with Customs and Border Patrol agents, who he said are “overwhelmed” by encounters at the border.

“We simply do not have the man and woman power at the border to be able to deal with it,” Christie said.

DeSantis was asked for specifics about his plan to shoot drug smugglers “stone-cold dead” as they cross the border, an oft-repeated line from the Florida governor’s stump speech. DeSantis ran through a laundry list of hard-line policies, including sending the U.S. military to the border, imposing fees on remittances that foreign workers send home, deporting undocumented migrants, and designating cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations “or something similar to that.”

Haley, who served as ambassador to the U.N. under Trump, was asked what her U.N. colleagues would think of U.S. military action in Mexico without giving that government prior notice. Some Democratic lawmakers have argued the move would violate U.S. commitments under the U.N. charter.

“I don’t care what my colleagues at the United Nations think,” Haley said, characterizing China’s role in the fentanyl supply chain as “murdering Americans” and saying she would send special operations forces in to “take out the cartels.”

Asked for his thoughts on some of those hard-line measures, Ramaswamy said that the flow of fentanyl into the U.S. amounts to “poisoning” and is “closer to bioterrorism,” saying “that does warrant more aggressive means to deal with it.”

— Laura Gersony

What is fracking? How the GOP candidates think more oil will offset the cost of living

When asked how they would address rising prices and international instability threatening oil supplies, the candidates called for more domestic fracking.

Fracking, also known as hydraulic fracturing, is a technique that releases petroleum or natural gas from the ground. Injecting a high-pressure fluid creates fractures in rock formations, allowing oil and gas to flow more freely.

The practice has been an environmental concern for activists and policymakers pushing for a transition to renewable energy.

When asked about how he would respond to the political situation in Venezuela as president, Ron DeSantis said he would not rely on Venezuela for American oil supplies. If elected, DeSantis said he would “unleash all of America’s energy potential on Day One.”

Nikki Haley accused DeSantis of banning drilling and fracking in Florida, reiterating a claim she made in the previous debate. She said DeSantis opposed oil production before Floridians voted on it.

“We are absolutely going to frack,” DeSantis said. “But I disagree with Nikki Haley, I don’t think it’s a good idea to drill in the Florida Everglades, but I know most Floridians agree with me.”

The moderators then asked candidates how they would offset the rising cost of living in the short term, and energy independence was the candidates' solution.

Tim Scott believes by becoming energy-independent and energy-dominant, America can reduce the price of energy, food and electricity. He supports expanding oil production and approving the Keystone XL Pipeline, an extension that would transport fracked gas from Canada into Nebraska.

Vivek Ramaswamy doubled down on promises to increase drilling, fracking, coal burning and investments in nuclear energy.

Chris Christie agreed with Scott, saying bringing the cost of energy down would improve prices overall.

“Energy is the key to bringing this down,” Christie said. “It’s what every American needs to turn on their lights, fill up their car, and go to the grocery store.”

— Hayleigh Evans

Haley hits DeSantis over Social Security

The federal debt and Social Security drew out another dispute between Haley and DeSantis.

DeSantis said he can "shore up" Social Security by curbing inflation and growing the economy. He did not propose any changes to the popular program itself.

Haley said the growing federal debt requires changes to Social Security and other entitlement programs, though they should be applied only to younger people who are years away from retirement.

She also chided DeSantis and other candidates for ignoring the problem.

"Any candidate that tells you they're not going to take on entitlements is not being serious," Haley said.

— David Jackson/USA Today

Nikki Haley on abortion: 'We don’t need to divide America over this issue anymore'

Haley said she considers herself pro-life, but that she believes abortion is “a personal issue for every woman and every man.”

The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade corrected a wrong and returned the decision to the states, she said during Wednesday's debate.

She urged her competitors to “be honest” that passing a federal ban on abortions would require 60 votes in the Senate, which could not happen given the political makeup of the upper chamber.

Instead, policymakers should focus on things they can agree on, she said, such as banning late-term abortions, making birth control accessible, and ensuring women don’t go to jail for getting an abortion.

"We don’t need to divide America over this issue anymore," she said.

Later asked whether she would sign a 15-week ban on abortions, she said: “I would support anything that would pass.”

— Riley Beggin/USA Today

Republican candidates answer 1st economy question

The first question on the state of the economy came over an hour into the debate. Tim Scott said as president, he would lead the country to use its own resources first before turning to other countries, like China.

He pointed to the important role of energy in the economy, with Christie agreeing.

“Energy is the key to bringing this down. ... We need to do that first and foremost. That’s the short-term answer,” Christie said.

DeSantis said on Day One as president, he would rip up any regulations or executive orders related to Bidenomics, a slogan the president uses for his economic agenda.

“I’ve heard from multiple people the same story,” DeSantis said. “When they go grocery shopping, what they now do is figure out what they have to take out of the cart once it’s ringing up because it rings up so much faster and so much higher at the cash register that they can’t afford the full cart of groceries anymore,” he said.

Ramaswamy had a simple answer on the economy: Increase the supply of everything — from energy to labor.

— Rachel Looker/USA Today

GOP presidential candidates broadly support Israel

About 10 minutes into the debate, the candidates were asked about the war between Israel and Hamas, and what they would be telling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were they president.

"Finish the job once and for all,” DeSantis said, adding that Israel cannot exist with such a severe security threat next door. Then he referenced his plan which spent millions of dollars to send aircraft to help evacuate Americans out of Israel after the Oct. 7 attacks.Haley was similarly blunt.

"Finish them" would be her message to Netanyahu.

Scott similarly said Israel has the right “to wipe Hamas off the map.”

Christie said the U.S. needs to continue to isolate Iran.

Ramaswamy made a quip about encouraging Israel to “smoke terrorists” on its southern border and he would be “smoking the terrorists on our southern border.”

Then he spun his answer into a critique of Haley profiting from connections she made as U.N. ambassador.

"Do you want a leader from a different generation who is going to put this country first, or do you want Dick Cheney in 3-inch heels?"

Haley shot back the next time she was given a question.

“They are 5-inch heels and I don’t wear them unless you can run in them,” Haley said to applause.

— Ryan Randazzo

Kari Lake makes an appearance at Trump’s rally in Florida

Kari Lake, the former gubernatorial candidate who is now running for U.S. Senate in Arizona, posted a video of herself greeting and taking photos with fans at Trump’s event in Hialeah, Florida.

Lake ran for governor in 2022, promising to reform election systems in Arizona and to secure the southern border. She lost to Gov. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, and has unsuccessfully challenged the results of the gubernatorial race in court.

Lake, a former Fox 10 news anchor turned anti-media firebrand, often campaigns for Trump, and has received his endorsement in the ongoing Senate race.

— Laura Gersony

Trump arrives late to rally, promises largest deportation operation in American history

Former President Donald Trump was scheduled to begin speaking at the Ted Hendricks Stadium in Hialeah at 7 p.m. but arrived on stage an hour and a half late.

The former president's lateness did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm that greeted him when he finally walked on stage. He fell quickly into his usual approach, deriding “Crooked Joe Biden” and “Ron DeSanctimonious.”

His description of the state of affairs was a troubling one, punctuated frequently with insults. He spoke of insane asylums emptying out and terrorists flocking to unsecured borders.

"We have never been closer to World War III," he said.

— Palm Beach Post

Trump reminisces on his 2016 victory in debate counterprogramming

Speaking on the 7th anniversary of his 2016 election victory, former President Donald Trump held a rally in Hialeah, Florida, just miles away from the debate stage. He began speaking about 20 minutes after the debate began.

“The American people delivered the greatest election victory, probably, that the world has ever seen,” Trump said. “The only one that’s going to be more important is the one that’s coming up in one year from now.”

“We are not the ones endangering American democracy, we are the ones saving American democracy,” he said.

Before Trump took the stage, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Trump’s former White House press secretary who is now Arkansas governor, touted her recent endorsement of the former president in the ongoing Republican presidential primary.

Despite being one of Trump’s fiercest defenders while in office, Sanders has taken several months to officially back Trump, reportedly causing angst among his associates.

“President Trump made us great and I know that he will do it again,” she told the crowd.

Sanders was periodically interrupted by chants of “We want Trump.”

— Laura Gersony

Ramaswamy refuses to criticize Trump

The first question from Lester Holt at Wednesday’s debate was what the candidates would say to voters about former President Donald Trump, who again chose not to debate his primary rivals.

Ramaswamy continued to show reluctance to criticize the former president even when asked directly to do so.

Ramaswamy answered by saying he was upset by the Republican losses in Tuesday’s elections.

“We’ve become a party of losers,” Ramaswamy said. But rather than blame Trump, he blamed Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel.

Then, without mentioning Trump, Ramawsamy tried to ask the moderators why the media spent so much time reporting on Trump’s Russia ties in the 2016 election cycle.

Ramaswamy’s reluctance to say anything negative about Trump has led to speculation he is running in hopes of being tapped as a vice presidential candidate for Trump.

Other candidates were not so easy on Trump.

Haley said Trump was “the right president at the right time. I don’t think he’s the right president now.”

“We can’t live in the past. … We’ve got to start focusing on what is going to make America strong and proud,” Haley said.

Chris Christie, as usual, gave the harshest rebuke of Trump, saying that anyone who will spend the next year and a half trying to avoid prison doesn’t deserve to run the country.

— Ryan Randazzo

GOP candidates: We would be better candidates than Trump

The first question is to all the candidates about Trump: Why are you a better candidate than him?

DeSantis said he has done the things Trump talks about — and is insulting voters by refusing to debate.

Haley said Trump spent too much money when he was president and added that he was good for his time, but "I don't think he's the right president now."

Ramaswamy also said that time has passed Trump by, and the Republicans have become "a party of losers." He also complained about the NBC moderators, saying they should not be doing a Republican debate.

Christie, as he often does, said Trump's legal issues make him ineligible to be president again, and the former president is too busy trying to "stay out of jail."

Scott questioned whether Trump can win a general election.

— David Jackson/USA TODAY

Former UFC fighter speaks at Trump rally

Opting to skip the third Republican presidential debate, former President Donald Trump is instead hosting a rally in Hialeah, Florida, which was scheduled to begin an hour before the debate. Among the speakers was Jorge Masvidal, a former professional martial artist and an outspoken admirer of Trump.

“We see in just three years how crazy this horror movie has gotten,” said Masvidal, referring to President Joe Biden’s time in office.

Masvidal helped to campaign for Trump during his 2020 bid for the White House, and the two have praised each other on social media.

“There is just one guy we know can do the job,” Masvidal said of Trump at the rally, before leading the crowd in a chant of “let’s go Brandon,” a phrase used to mock President Joe Biden.

— Laura Gersony and Ryan Randazzo

Christina Bobb, Arizona ‘audit’ fundraiser, hosts Trump event

Christina Bobb, a conservative personality who raised money for the so-called “audit” of Arizona’s 2020 election, was hosting the live Wednesday event for former President Donald Trump for Right Side Broadcasting Network.

Trump for the third time decided to skip the formal GOP debate. Instead of sharing the stage in Miami with his primary rivals, he planned an outdoor rally about 11 miles away.

Bobb bantered with Brian Glenn of RSBN ahead of the former president’s planned remarks. They talked about Trump’s polling figures, the COVID-19 pandemic and other topics in between ads for a Trump bobblehead themed after the Terminator movies and plugs for MyPillow.

Bobb worked in the Trump administration as an appointee in the Department of Homeland Security.

She left in early 2020 to join One America News Network.

After Trump lost the 2020 election, Bobb volunteered to help his legal team challenge the results and was with his team until the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, according to her testimony to the congressional committee that investigated the attack.

Shortly after Trump's loss, she helped coordinate a meeting in Arizona at which Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani suggested the election was compromised.

Bobb continued to work as a personality for OAN and began covering the Arizona audit once it launched in 2021. She also helped raise money for the audit through her connections to Trump and his organization.

Bobb also is the lawyer for Trump who last year signed a letter stating that a “diligent search” for classified records had been conducted and that all such documents had been given back to the government.

The Justice Department said the letter was untrue. During a subsequent visit to Mar-a-Lago, agents seized about 100 additional documents, according to the Associated Press.

— Ryan Randazzo

Will GOP candidates discuss the environment? Here’s what they said in previous debates

Moderators included questions on climate change and energy prices during the first two GOP debates. As the candidates face off Wednesday evening in Florida, a state impacted by hurricanes, rising sea levels and heat waves, moderators could bring up more environmental topics.

The candidates have had varying stances, reflecting a divide within the party on how to address climate change and America’s energy supply.

According to the Pew Research Center, 42% of Republicans and right-leaning moderates support exploring alternative energy sources, while 58% believe America needs to increase exploration and production for coal, oil and natural gas.

Nikki Haley has acknowledged climate change exists but believes top polluters like India and China should act before America does. She advocated for American energy independence in the second debate.

“Energy security is national security. We need a president that understands we have to partner with our producers and make sure that we have their backs,” she said. “Ron DeSantis is against fracking, he’s against drilling.”

Haley claimed DeSantis banned oil drilling and fracking in Florida, an accusation he denied. DeSantis said he is committed to American energy dominance in west Texas, pushing oil and gas production instead of policies that favor renewable energy.

Vivek Ramaswamy has staunchly denied climate change, calling the climate change agenda a “hoax” during the first debate and demanding more drilling and fracking on American soil.

“I think that we do have to run through the courts and get through that administrative state to make sure we’re using the natural resources here at home,” Ramaswamy said.

— Hayleigh Evans

Conservative groups host debate watch party in Phoenix

At least two conservative groups in the Valley are planning a watch party for the third Republican presidential debate on Wednesday.

Americans for Prosperity’s Arizona chapter and the Libre Initiative are gathering at their shared Phoenix offices with free dinner and drinks for activists and undecided voters who register to attend.

AFP is an organization with ties to the conservative industrialist Charles Koch and his late brother, David Koch. LIBRE is a sister organization started with the Charles Koch Institute that focuses on the Hispanic community.

The event, running from 5 to 8 p.m., will be held at 4745 N. Seventh St. in Phoenix and will include appetizers, bingo and political analysis from those on hand.

AFP’s Arizona director, Stephen Shadegg, and LIBRE’s strategic director, Monet Bacs, are scheduled to attend.

Those interested in registering for the event can do so at https://americansforprosperity.actcentr.com/Events/afp-az-primary-debate-watch-party-3

— Ronald J. Hansen

Recent poll deflates candidates’ claims Trump can’t beat Biden

A recent poll by the New York Times and Siena College found former President Donald Trump, the 2024 Republican front-runner, leading President Joe Biden in several swing states, including Arizona, that are expected to decide the next presidential election.

The poll found Trump leading Biden 49% to 44% in a hypothetical Arizona matchup.

The poll represents only one statistic in a sea of data that is sure to evolve with more than a year until the election. But it calls into question some of his challengers’ arguments that Trump can’t beat Biden in a general election.

That argument has been particularly foundational to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ campaign, which from the start billed DeSantis as a younger, more electable alternative to Trump. Other candidates on the debate stage have also questioned Trump’s viability in a general election, with businessman Vivek Ramaswamy saying in an interview that he is more likely to win in a “landslide” than the former president.

— Laura Gersony

1st debate since Biden revived Trump-era border wall construction effort

This GOP debate will be the first since President Joe Biden announced he would build a new section of the U.S.-Mexico border wall.

That move revives a Trump-era policy and breaks Biden’s campaign trail promise that “not one more foot” of wall would be built on his watch.

The Republican presidential candidates have made border security a pillar of their campaigns and attacks against Biden. Their proposals include trying to end or limit birthright citizenship for the children of undocumented migrants, killing drug smugglers as they cross the border, and even sending the military to Mexico to target drug cartels.

Biden administration officials say the border wall construction is needed to respond to an uptick in illegal immigration, which reached record levels over the summer.

Biden has blamed Congress for not reappropriating the border wall money approved in a Trump-era 2019 law.

— Laura Gersony

Ohio voters backed pro-choice amendment a day before debate

Wednesday’s Republican debate will come just one day after Ohio voters resoundingly backed a constitutional amendment protecting the right to abortion and other forms of reproductive health care.

Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark case that had created a national right to abortion, statewide votes have opted to preserve abortion access, even in Republican-leaning states such as Kentucky and Kansas.

On Tuesday, Ohio voters backed the pro-choice amendment 56.6% to 43.4%.

Arizona abortion rights advocates are trying to get a similar measure on next year’s ballot.

The state was mentioned by name during the previous GOP debate in September, when Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was asked how he would appeal to voters in Arizona while they consider an abortion rights measure, which likely will be supported by Democrats and bring many to the polls.

DeSantis said he had success in Florida even in places typically thought of as liberal, and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie added that he was the only Republican on the stage who was elected in a Democratic or blue state, “where the fight is really tough for Republicans.”

— Laura Gersony and Ryan Randazzo

GOP debate is 1st to partner with Jewish organization

The partnership with the Republican Jewish Coalition marks the first time such a group has cohosted a primary debate, making it all but certain candidates will spend time talking about the war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

The coalition’s CEO, Matt Brooks, will be asking questions of the candidates, according to the group.

“The Republican National Committee's decision to invite the RJC to be its partner for this debate demonstrates the value and importance that the Republican Party places on the Jewish community and its growing support for the GOP, and the impact that the Republican Jewish Coalition has as an organization,” the group said on social media ahead of the event.

The ongoing war between Israel and Hamas has mostly drawn support for Israel from Arizona’s congressional delegation. Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., is the only one of Arizona’s nine representatives and two senators who publicly has called for an end to Israel’s siege of Gaza.

But the conflict in the Democratic Party has flared in Arizona in another way, when the Sheraton Mesa Hotel at Wrigleyville West told the Council for American-Islamic Relations’ Arizona chapter that it would not host an event featuring Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.

CAIR, a Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, has long been critical of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. The group's Arizona chapter had invited Tlaib to be the keynote speaker Nov. 18 at their annual banquet.

Tlaib has been one of the fiercest critics of U.S. foreign policy toward Israel in recent weeks, as that country bombs, invades and cuts off most humanitarian supplies from the Gaza Strip in response to the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas. Her views generated criticism from her House colleagues, who voted Tuesday to censure her.

— Ryan Randazzo and Laura Gersony

How big is Trump’s lead in the polls?

Heading into Wednesday’s debate, former President Donald Trump continues to hold a substantial lead in polls against the other Republican candidates.

Analysis site FiveThirtyEight.com tracks polls nationwide and uses a compilation to calculate the candidates’ current standing. FiveThirtyEight estimates Trump’s support among Republicans at greater than 56% as of Tuesday, having only increased since April.

Meanwhile, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has seen his support drop to about 14% when it was as high as 35% in polling in the spring.

Former U.N. Ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley was averaging about 9% on Tuesday, having overtaken businessman Vivek Ramaswamy in recent months following her performances during the first two debates.

Ramaswamy’s support was about 5.2% on Tuesday, according to the site.

— Ryan Randazzo

Ramaswamy considered skipping 3rd GOP debate

GOP candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said a month ago that he may opt out of the Republican presidential primary debate in Miami after the political newcomer played the role of punching bag in the first two debates.

Ramaswamy spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said the campaign had internal discussions about whether he should participate in future debates.

His campaign cited the inability of moderators to control the candidates and offer everyone a chance to respond to criticism, and the declining viewership on television.

— USA Today

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Republican debate: What the presidential hopefuls had to say