Live updates: Haley tells Ramaswamy ‘we can’t trust you,’ Trump skips debate to rail against EVs

The
Trump
campaign
trashed
the
second
Republican
debate,
which
Trump
skipped
and
attempted
to
counter-program
with
a
competing
campaign
event.

“Tonight’s
GOP
debate
was
as
boring
and
inconsequential
as
the
first
debate,”
said
top
Trump
campaign
aide
Chris
LaCivita
in
a
statement.

That
statement
also
touted
Trump’s
lead
in
the
polls,
and
called
on
the
Republican
National
Committee
to
“put
an
end
to
any
further
primary
debates
so
we
can
train
our
fire
on”
Biden.

—

Kevin
Breuninger

Former
New
Jersey
Gov.
Chris
Christie
said
former
President
Donald
Trump
should
be
voted
off
the
Republican
primary
island
after
a
question
by
the
debate
hosts
fell
flat.

Fox
News
host
Dana
Perino
asked,
“Which
one
of
you
on
stage
tonight
should
be
voted
off
the
island?”
Florida
Gov.
Ron
DeSantis
and
the
others
on
the
stage
said
they
would
not
answer
that
question.

But
Christie
was
called
out
for
writing
down
a
name
when
the
question
was
asked,
and
said
he
believed
Trump
should
be
voted
off.

—
Brian
Schwartz

Former
United
Nations
ambassador
Nikki
Haley
faced
off
with
Florida
Gov.
Ron
DeSantis
on
energy
policy
at
the
second
presidential
debate.

“Ron
DeSantis
is
against
fracking.
He’s
against
drilling.
He
always
talks
about
what
happens
on
day
one.
You
better
watch
out
because
what
happens
on
day
two
is
when
you’re
in
trouble,”
Haley
said.
“Day
two
in
Florida
you
banned
fracking.
You
banned
offshore
drilling.”

DeSantis
responded
with
his
own
energy
policy
proposals
and
disputed
that
he
banned
fracking.

—
Brian
Schwartz

Florida
Gov.
Ron
DeSantis
said
during
the
second
Republican
debate
that
he
will
end
the
war
in
Ukraine
with
Russia
if
he
becomes
president.

“It’s
in
our
interest
to
end
this
war,
we’re
going
to
have
Europeans
do
what
they
need
to
do,”
DeSantis
said.

U.S.
Secretary
of
State
Antony
Blinken
recently

announced
a
new
aid
package
for
Ukraine
worth
more
than
$1
billion.

—
Brian
Schwartz

Haley
tore
into
Ramaswamy
after
he
defended
his
decision
to

join
TikTok,
a
social
media
platform
he
previously
denounced
as
a
Chinese
threat.

“Honestly,
every
time
I
hear
you
I
feel
a
little
bit
dumber
for
what
you
say,”
Haley
said
after
describing
TikTok
as
“one
of
the
most
dangerous
social
media
apps.”

“China
knows
exactly
what
they’re
doing,”
she
said,
before
launching
into
a
litany
of
criticisms
of
Ramaswamy’s
record.

“We
can’t
trust
you!
We
can’t
trust
you!”
she
said.

Ramaswamy
responded
by
calling
for
an
end
to
“personal
insults.”

—

Kevin
Breuninger

Haley
said
that
shortcomings
in
the
U.S.
education
system
should
be
addressed
in
part
by
removing
diversity,
equity
and
inclusion
initiatives,
including
critical
race
theory.

Her
plan
also
includes
teaching
students
financial
literacy.

Haley
advocated
for
“universal
school
choice,”
and
said
it
was
not
for
“lack
of
trying”
that
South
Carolina
does
not
currently
follow
such
a
model.

—
Kevin
Breuninger

Pence
threw
a
jab
at
DeSantis
on
the
rise
in
spending
in
Florida
under
his
watch.

“Ron,
you
talk
a
really
good
game
about
cutting
spending,
but
you’ve
increased
spending
in
Florida
by
30%,”
Pence
said.

A
similar
claim
leveled
against
DeSantis
by
Christie
on
CNBC
was
rated
“Half
True”
by
PolitiFact.

DeSantis
asked
for
a
chance
to
respond,
but
the
moderator
instead
threw
to
a
commercial
break.

—

Kevin
Breuninger

Republican
Sen.
Tim
Scott
went
on
offense
against
businessman
Vivek
Ramaswamy
during
the
second
Republican
primary
debate.

Scott
claimed
that
Ramaswamy
was
“just
in
business
with
the
Chinese
Communist
Party”
and
that
he
had
ties
to
associates
of
President
Joe
Biden’s
son,
Hunter
Biden.

Ramaswamy
said
that
he
had
a
company
that
had
a
subsidiary
in
China
but
eventually
left
the
country.
Those
on
the
stage
then
said
that
he
only
left
the
country
when
he
ran
for
president.

Ramaswamy
took
aim
at
the
GOP
primary
contestants
in
the
first
debate,
saying
at
the
time
they
were
all
“bought
and
paid
for”
by
special
interests.

—
Brian
Schwartz

Former
New
Jersey
Gov.
Chris
Christie
took
aim
at
former
President
Donald
Trump,
virtually
everyone
in
Congress
and
President
Joe
Biden
during
the
second
Republican
presidential
debate.

“He
put
$7
trillion
on
the
debt,”
Christie
said
of
Trump
and
his
administration.
He
also
ripped
Trump
for
not
showing
up
to
the
debate.

“Donald
Trump
hides
behind
the
walls
of
his
golf
clubs
and
won’t
show
up
here
to
answer
questions
like
all
the
rest
of
us,”
Christie
said.

—
Brian
Schwartz

After
15
minutes
of
the
debate
had
elapsed,
DeSantis
finally
got
a
word
in
edgewise.

DeSantis,
who
stood
center
stage,
was
the
last
candidate
to
speak
in
the
opening
segment.
When
he
finally
did,
he
attacked
Trump
for
skipping
the
debate
and
also
targeted
Biden.

—

Kevin
Breuninger

Scott
was
asked
whether
he
would
fire
striking
auto
workers
in
light
of
his
prior
comments

praising
ex-President
Ronald
Reagan’s
handling
a
strike
of
federal
employees.

Scott
noted
that
the
president
“cannot
fire
anybody
in
the
private
sector.”

He
then
veered
into
a
critique
of
the
Biden
administration’s
policies
on
fentanyl
and
border
security.

—

Kevin
Breuninger

Fox
Business
host
Stuart
Varney
stumbled
out
of
the
gate
as
he
introduced
the
second
Republican
debate
in
California
at
the
Reagan
Library.

Varney,
as
the
contest
started,
stumbled
on
the
name
of
Ilia
Calderón,
a
Univision
anchor
and
fellow
debate
host,
as
the
Fox
host
introduced
the
debate.

—
Brian
Schwartz

Former
President
Donald
Trump
said
during
a
speech
in
Michigan
that
those
on
the
Republican
primary
debate
stage
in
California
are
trying
out
for
a
job
in
a
possible
future
Trump
administration,
with
none
of
them
seemingly
impressing
him
to
be
his
potential
running
mate.

“They’re
all
job
candidates,”
Trump
said
about
the
seven
candidates
taking
part
in
tonight’s
debate.
“They’ll
do
anything.”

“Does
anybody
see
any
VP
in
the
group?
I
don’t
think
so,”
Trump
said,
referring
to
a
candidate
to
run
with
him
as
vice
president.
Trump
is
skipping
tonight’s
debate
at
the
Reagan
Library.

Those
competing
in
the
debate
are
former
United
Nations
Ambassador
Nikki
Haley,
North
Dakota
Gov.
Doug
Burgum,
former
New
Jersey
Gov.
Chris
Christie,
Florida
Gov.
Ron
DeSantis,
former
Vice
President
Mike
Pence,
businessman
Vivek
Ramaswamy
and
Sen.
Tim
Scott
of
South
Carolina.

Trump
leads
the
GOP
primary
with
58%
of
support,
according
to

Morning
Consult
poll.

—
Brian
Schwartz

Trump
did
not
name
a
single
American
truck
brand
as
he
railed
against
the
Biden
administration’s
efforts
to
spur
an
industry-wide
transition
to
electric
vehicles
and
the
limits
of
electric
trucks.

Trump,
in
his
speech
in
Detroit,
claimed
that
electric
trucks
sell
for
“peanuts”
and
have
short-lasting
batteries.

Those
trucks
“go
for
like
one-fifth”,
Trump
claimed
in
his
speech
in
Detroit.

He
then
appeared
to
try
to
contrast
those
trucks
with
their
traditional-engine
counterparts.
But
the
example
he
picked
is
not
the
name
of
an
existing
truck
brand.

“You
take
a
Powerbuilt
or
one
of
the
good
brands,”
he
said,
before
saying
that
electric
trucks
“go
for
just
a
small
amount
of
time
compared
to
a
diesel-fired
truck.”

Powerbuilt
is
a
brand
of
tools.

—

Kevin
Breuninger

The
political
network
financed
in
part
by
billionaire
industrialist
Charles
Koch
is
airing
a
new

advertisement
taking
on
President
Joe
Biden’s
policies
during
the
second
Republican
primary
debate.

Americans
for
Prosperity,
an
organization
partially
financed
by
Koch,
is
running
an
ad
titled
“Are
you
better
off?”
during
the
debate
at
the
Reagan
Library
in
California.

The
ad,
which
is
set
to
air
on
cable
markets
in
Washington,
D.C.,
and
on
digital
platforms
across
the
country
during
the
debate,
specifically
calls
out
Biden’s
economic
policies.
“Bidenomics
is
crushing
us,”
a
person
is
seen
saying.

The
network
is
also
in
the
midst
of

opposing
former
President
Donald
Trump
in
separate
ads,
arguing
that
if
he’s
the
nominee,
it
will
be
another
four
years
of
Biden.

Emily
Seidel,
the
group’s
CEO
who’s
featured
in
the
ad,
said
in
a
statement
that
they
hope
those
at
the
debate
focus
on
policy
issues.

“Joe
Biden’s
policies
have
made
life
more
expensive
for
everyone,
and
sadly
many
Americans
report
that
they
are
worse
off
today
than
they
were
at
the
start
of
the
Biden
Administration,”
Seidel
said
in
a
statement.
“We’re
hearing
from
voters
that
they’re
looking
for
a
candidate
who
can
tackle
these
serious
economic
challenges
our
country
is
facing.
That’s
why
we’re
calling
on
leaders
at
tonight’s
debate
to
focus
on
the
issues
that
matter
most
and
present
their
vision
for
advancing
better
policies
that
move
our
country
forward.”

—
Brian
Schwartz

Trump
railed
against
electric
vehicles
—
a
major
theme
of
his
commentary
amid
a
historic
auto
workers’
strike
—
in
his
speech
at
a
nonunion
auto
parts
factory
in
Detroit.

“They
don’t
go
far
enough
and
they’re
too
expensive,”
Trump
said
of
electric
vehicles
near
the
start
of
his
remarks
to
the
crowd
of
about
300
people,
which
mostly
comprised
supporters
and
workers
at
Drake
Enterprises,
the
nonunion
plant.

Trump’s
message
starkly
contrasts
with
the
Biden
administration,
which
has
supported
transitioning
the
auto
industry
away
from
gas-powered
cars.

A
roughly
20%
chunk
of
the
crowd
consisted
of
United
Auto
Workers
members,
according
to
NBC
News.

—

Kevin
Breuninger

Haley
and
Ramaswamy
turned
in
noteworthy
performances
at
the
first
debate
that
helped
propel
their
campaigns
above
the
middle
of
the
pack.

At
the
second
debate,
both
candidates
are
looking
to
build
on
that
momentum.

Haley,
who
locked
horns
with
Ramaswamy
and
threw
sharp
jabs
at
Trump
and
her
other
opponents,
has
been
on
the
rise
in
some
recent
national
polls
and
surveys
of
key
states.

One

poll
out
this
week
from
the
Saint
Anselm
College
Survey
Center,
for
instance,
put
Haley
in
second
place
behind
Trump
in
the
first-in-the-nation
primary
state
of
New
Hampshire.

Ramaswamy,
meanwhile,
drew
much
of
the
spotlight
in
the
first
debate
as
he
was

dogpiled
by
numerous
other
contenders.
The
38-year-old
political
novice
also
fired
off
more
attacks
than
anyone
else
in
that
debate.

The
post-debate
shakeup
appears
to
have
cut
into
DeSantis’
once-clear
status
as
the
top
non-Trump
candidate
in
the
GOP
race.
The
most
recent

Quinnipiac
University
poll
showed
DeSantis
at
12%
nationwide,
six
points
lower
than
his
standing
in
August
and
still
miles
from
catching
Trump.

—

Kevin
Breuninger

Outside
the
Trump
rally,
small
groups
of
Trump
supporters
waived
flags
along
a
main
road,
while
closer
to
the
factory
where
the
former
president
will
speak
was
a
small
drumline
with
Trump
supporters
waiving
flags
nearby.

“Auto
Workers
for
Trump”
and
“Union
Members
for
Trump”
signs
were
being
handed
out
to
attendees
and
MAGA
hats
were
prevalent
in
the
largely
white,
older
male
crowd.

Brian
Pannebecker,
a
retired
auto
worker
who
runs
a
Facebook
group
called
“Auto
Workers
for
Trump,
said
he
assisted
in
getting
current
and
retired
auto
workers
to
the
event
for
the
Trump
campaign
and
expects
more
than
200
people
at
the
event.

Pannebecker,
who
worked
for
roughly
35
years
at
Ford
and
then
at
Chrysler,
which
is
now
known
as
Stellantis,
said
auto
workers
should
vote
for
Trump
because
of
his
efforts
with
the

United
States-Mexico-Canada
Agreement
and
his
stance
on
EVs
compared
to
President
Joe
Biden.

“Donald
Trump
would
not
be
pushing
this
EV
kind
of
mandate
on
the
companies
or
on
the
consumers,”
said
Pannebecker.
“The
consumers
should
be
able
to
decide.
Let
the
companies
develop
EVs
at
their
own
pace
and
let
the
government
get
the
infrastructure
out
there
at
their
own
pace
as
it’s
practical.
…
We
shouldn’t
be
forced
by
the
government
to
buy
EVs,
and
the
companies
shouldn’t
be
forced
by
the
government
to
build
EVs.”

The
venue
where
Trump
will
speak
is
an
auto
parts
production
facility,
which
allows
little
room
for
the
stage
or
a
large
audience.
It’s
a
significantly
smaller
venue
than
Trump’s
visits
to
Detroit
in
years
past.

Hundreds
of
chairs
were
set
up
in
front
of
where
Trump
will
speak,
with
bleachers
meant
for
auto
workers
on
the
far
left
and
far
right
of
the
stage.

—
Mike
Wayland

The
Democratic
National
Committee
is
launching
two
anti-GOP
advertisements
outside
the
Reagan
Library
as
seven
candidates
prepare
to
debate.

The
DNC
announced
Wednesday
that
they
plan
to
fly
an
aerial
banner
around
the
debate
site
right
up
until
the
start
of
the
event.
The
banner
will
say
“GOP
2024:
A
Race
For
The
Extreme
MAGA
Base,”
according
to
the
DNC.

The
committee,
which
is
supporting
President
Joe
Biden’s
2024
reelection
effort,
also
plans
to
run
a
mobile
billboard
around
the
Reagan
Library
as
the
debate
takes
place.

Similar
to
the
aerial
banner,
the
mobile

advertisement
tries
to
link
the
seven
Republican
candidates
to
former
President
Donald
Trump,
who
is
not
taking
part
in
tonight’s
debate.

—
Brian
Schwartz

Former
South
Carolina
Gov.
Nikki
Haley
went
on
a
digital
advertisement
publishing
spree
on
Wednesday,
hours
before
the
second
Republican
debate
in
California.

Haley,
who
will
be
on
the
debate
stage
Wednesday
night,
published
different
ads
on
X
and
the
Meta
platforms
of
Facebook
and
Instagram.
For
Haley,
tonight’s
debate
could
serve
as
a
crucial
moment
for
her
to
move
up
in
the
polls
and
keep
raising
enough
campaign
cash
to
stay
in
the
race.
Former
President
Donald
Trump
leads
the
GOP
primary
field
with
58%
of
support,
while
Haley
is
at
7%,
according
to
a

Morning
Consult
tracker.

Haley’s
advertisement
published
on
her
X
page
Wednesday
morning
depicts
her
as
a
fighter
and
not
a
stranger
to
taking
on
what
she
calls
“bullies.”

The
Haley
ads
on
Meta’s
platforms
that
started
running
Wednesday
ask
for
donors
to
give
at
least
$7.99,
according
to
the
Meta
digital
ad
library.
With
that,
contributors
can
get
a
Haley
t-shirt.

—
Brian
Schwartz

Sen.
Tim
Scott,
R-S.C.
may
not
be
leading
in
the
Republican
primary
polls
but
is
going
into
tonight’s
debate
leading
in
ad
support.

Scott
has
seen
over
$51
million
through
Wednesday
in
ad
support,
according
to
AdImpact.

AdImpact
calculated
the
total
amount
spent
in
support
of
all
seven
candidates
who
qualified
for
the
second
debate.
The
totals
reflect
how
much
each
campaign
and
outside
political
action
committees
have
spent
on
ads
in
favor
of
their
candidates.

Second
to
Scott
is
Florida
Republican
Gov.
Ron
DeSantis
with
$39
million,
followed
by
former
President
Donald
Trump
with
$27
million
in
supportive
ad
spending.

Trump
is
skipping
tonight’s
debate.
He
leads
the
Republican
primary
field
with
58%
of
support,
according
to

Morning
Consult.

—
Brian
Schwartz

Trump
said
he
is
on
his
way
to
Detroit
to
deliver
a
speech
aimed
at
blue-collar
workers
—
especially
auto
workers,
thousands
of
whom
are
on
strike
from
top
carmakers’
plants
as
they
demand
better
pay
and
hours.

But
Trump,
who
seeks
the
endorsement
of
the
union
leading
the
strike,
will
be
speaking
at
a
nonunion
auto
parts
factory.

The
decision
drew

condemnation
from
United
Auto
Workers
President
Shawn
Fain,
who
called
it
a
“pathetic
irony.”

“I
don’t
think
the
man
has
any
bit
of
care
about
what
our
workers
stand
for,
what
the
working
class
stands
for,”
Fain
said
Tuesday
night
on
CNN.

Trump
said
in
a
Truth
Social

post
announcing
his
departure
for
Michigan,
“I
LOVE,
&
WILL
SAVE,
THE
AUTOWORKERS.”

He
is
scheduled
to
speak
at
8
p.m.
ET
at
Drake
Enterprises
in
Clinton
Township.

Trump
is
skipping
his
second
straight
chance
to
confront,
and
be
confronted
by,
his
GOP
rivals
in
a
live
televised
debate.

His
campaign
event
is
purposely
scheduled
to
counter-program
the
Republican
debate.

—

Kevin
Breuninger

The
second
Republican
debate
for
the
2024
GOP
primary
for
president
is
set
to
kick
off
Wednesday
night
at
9
p.m.
Eastern
Time
from
the
Reagan
Library
in
Simi
Valley,
California.

The
debate
will
air
on
Fox
News
Channel
and
Fox
Business,
as
well
as
through
Fox’s
digital
streaming
platforms
and
Rumble.

North
Dakota
Gov.
Doug
Burgum,
former
New
Jersey
Gov.
Chris
Christie,
Florida
Gov.
Ron
DeSantis,
former
U.N.
Ambassador
Nikki
Haley,
former
Vice
President
Mike
Pence,
businessman
Vivek
Ramaswamy
and
Sen.
Tim
Scott,
R-S.C.,
have
all
qualified
for
the
debate.

Former
President
Donald
Trump
is
skipping
the
Wednesday
night
event.

—
Brian
Schwartz