He has argued that were he to attend, he would merely be the target.
Only Christie and DeSantis took the bait.
That has made the debates the battle for No.
The third Republican presidential primary debate in Miami.Getty Images
They also tried to elicit answers to some substantive questions, particularly on foreign policy.
DeSantis vowed to designate drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
Were gonna shoot them stone cold dead.
In nearby Hialeah, Trump dismissed the latest gathering of rivals.
Nobodys talking about it.
Everybody is watching us, he told a rally crowd, per the Miami Herald.
Thats not entirely true, as cable news was blanketed with post-debate commentary.
But 24 hours from now, he may be right.
She also said, Stop the judgment.
We dont need to divide America over this issue anymore.
That was the case in Ohio, where voters overwhelmingly passed a constitutional right to an abortion.
Tim Scott called for a 15-week ban, and challenged Haley and DeSantis to support it.
Vivek Ramaswamy blamed Republicans for not having an alternative amendment on the table to counter the Ohio measure.
Chris Christie, though, said that the issue should be left to the states.
You might want to take care of your family first, Ramaswamy said.
Leave my daughter out of it, Haley shot back, later telling him, Youre just scum.
She did, however, stop him later when he tried to interrupt Haley.
We ask the questions, she told him.
This should be Tucker Carlson, Joe Rogan and Elon Musk.
Ramaswamy added, Do you think the Democrats would actually hire Greg Gutfeld to actually host a Democratic debate.
They wouldnt do it.
He didnt really answer.
Instead, he sought to blame the mainstream media, a favorite talking point of the GOP right.
Ramaswamy tried to engage Welker, saying to her.
The Trump Russia collusion hoax that you pushed on this online grid for years.
Was that real or was that Hillary Clinton made up disinformation?
A camera showed Welker staring at him, but not responding.
[As] we saw last night Im sick of losing.
Ramaswamy also came to the debate with a well-rehearsed line to attack Haley and DeSantis at the same time.
In which case, weve got two of them on stage tonight.
That was a reference to Haleys foreign policy positions and DeSantis footwear.
The reaction to Ramaswamys approach tonight was swift on X/Twitter.
Holt warned the candidates at the outset that continued interruptions may lead to the loss of additional questions.
