Republican Candidates Avoid Confronting Trump in Final Debate

In the final debate among Republican candidates for president, the focus was on frontrunner Donald Trump. Surprisingly, most candidates chose not to criticize him, leaving many wondering why they avoided the opportunity to attack the former president. Only Chris Christie took the opportunity to directly address Trump, calling him a “dictator” and expressing concerns about his potential use of presidential power to persecute political rivals. However, Christie failed to gather support from his fellow candidates, who seemed hesitant to criticize Trump. Nikki Haley, who previously served as UN Ambassador under Trump, criticized him for his failure to combat China but defended his trade record with Beijing. Ron DeSantis, the Florida Governor, commented on Trump’s age, stating that he believed the Republican frontrunner was too old for another term in office. Amidst the debate, the topic of Trump’s controversial ban on immigration from Muslim-majority countries arose, but the candidates provided vague or evasive answers. Christie accused the candidates of avoiding criticism because of their potential aspirations to join the Trump administration, claiming that Trump wants to return to power to seek revenge against those who disagreed with him. The debate grew heated as Christie and DeSantis engaged in a shouting match, prompting host Megyn Kelly to intervene and restore order. Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy stood out from the other candidates by refusing to condemn Trump and instead defending the 2021 Capitol Riot while espousing conspiracy theories. Overall, the debate showed a reluctance among Republican candidates to confront Trump directly, which raises questions about their strategies and potential future alliances.