Four Republican candidates came out of the gate swinging at the fourth presidential debate Wednesday night in Tuscaloosa, Alabama with former president Donald Trump a no-show once again.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie immediately went after each other trying to gain the upper hand.
DeSantis and Haley are running neck and neck for second place behind Trump, who is the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nominee.
DeSantis wasted no time in criticizing Haley for cozying up to China during her time as South Carolina governor and he also accused her of being tolerant of children who identified as transgender.
Haley countered that criticism and said the biggest issue for women is trans women competing in girls' sports.
However, neither Haley nor her opponents touched on the biggest women's issue in the US of abortion, which Democrats are sure to seize upon as the 2024 presidential race unfolds. Republicans have recently lost on several platforms related to abortion issues.
Ramaswamy called Haley a "fascist" and said she was corrupt because of her ties to Wall Street and military contractors.
Haley responded to her detractors, quipping, "I love the attention, fellas."
She bluntly told DeSantis: "Ron has continued to lie because he's losing."
Haley tried to make the case that she was the most electable candidate, but spent much of the debate defending herself from the verbal attacks.
"You can't replace Democrat chaos with Republican chaos, and that's what you get with Donald Trump," said Haley, who emphasized she wanted to run a campaign with "no drama, no vendettas, no whining."
Christie came to Haley's defense, accusing Ramaswamy of smearing the only woman on the stage and calling him "the most obnoxious blowhard in America."
Christie focused his agenda on taking down Trump and warned that the former president would be convicted of crimes and deprived of his right to vote by Election Day 2024.
Christie added that Republican denial about Trump would ensure a second term for President Joe Biden.
"This is an angry, bitter man," Christie said of Trump. "Failing to speak out against him, making excuses for him, pretending he is a victim, empowers him."
The fourth presidential debate came just less than six weeks before the crucial Iowa caucuses, which will give an indication of which Republicans are in true contention for the 2024 presidential election.
