With Donald Trump skipping the second Republican Debate, the face-off turned out to be more for second place. With Trump polling above any other candidates in the modern history of contested primaries, the final winner appears decided unless the courts decide otherwise.
The race at the moment appears more of a no-contest, lacking the competitive edge of and intensity of previous primaries. Trump’s lead leading to the second Republican debate was as large as the one Biden had over Bob Kennedy Jr. Trump meanwhile will be meeting auto industry workers near Detroit. Among the seconds at the Second Republican Debate are DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Ramaswamy, Mike Pence, Chris Christie, Doug Burgum, and Tim Scott.
The Second Republican Debate Saw Participants Directly Attacking Trump
Even as DeSantis branded Trump as missing in action, he was way ahead of the GOP lineup by a 40-point margin. The former president was scathing, remarking that the rest of the field was in the race vying to be the vice president. It was a chaotic two hours. The answers by the participants were at times unintelligible as several hopefuls yelled simultaneously. While the attacks were more personal this time, most chose to go easy on Trump.
A surprise presence at the second Republican Debate was Gavin Newson. The Democratic California governor said that he was representing his party at the high-profile event and making a case for the Biden administration. DeSantis, famous for his ‘slaves benefitted from servitude; quip appeared frustrated at being unable to take on Trump directly.
Tim Scott took issue with the comment and said that there was nothing redeeming in slavery. But he appeared to be losing ground to Nikki Haley. New Jersey Governor continued his tirade against Trump as his presidential campaign USP. He mocked Trump with his Donald Duck label for staying away from the second Republican Debate. Vivek Ramasamy was inching ahead for his quick-tongue. He is seen as a threat and does not like the political upstart, given the personal nature of the attacks. It was a tumultuous two hours that ended as undecided as it had begun.