On Wednesday night, seven Republican candidates gathered on onstage for two hours to spar over which of them should emerge as the party’s nominee for president.
The second GOP debate took place at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. Fox News anchors Dana Perino and Stuart Varney moderated alongside Univison news anchor Ilia Calderón.
The current front-runner, former President Donald Trump, missed the debate, instead traveling to Detroit to address auto workers.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former Vice President Mike Pence, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum were present at the debate.
Candidates were asked about issues like the UAW strike, crime, the border, relations with China, Ukraine and abortion.
If you didn’t have time to watch the debate or want a refresher on what candidates said, here are 10 takeaways from the second GOP debate.
1. Ronald Reagan
At the onset of the debate, Fox Business played a clip of Ronald Reagan saying, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.’” A flurry of clips of previous Republican candidates flashed across the screen as a voiceover asked a question others have asked: What kind of conservatism will be the future of the GOP? And would Reagan recognize the Republican Party that exists today?
The first question of the night went to Scott. He was asked about his citation of Reagan when talking about the UAW strike. Before a different question about immigration, a 1984 clip of Reagan saying, “I believe in the idea of amnesty for those who have put down roots and lived here” was played.
Reagan was also invoked in a back-and-forth between Ramaswamy and Scott. Ramaswamy was defending a decision to do business in China.
2. The UAW strike
In response to the question about the UAW strike, Scott said unions tend to “overpromise” and “underdeliver.”
Ramaswamy also discussed the UAW strike, saying although he does not sympathize with union leaders, he has sympathy for workers. He said the impact of D.C. politics is ultimately the real issue behind strikes.
Pence commented on President Joe Biden’s recent trip to the UAW picket lines, saying, “Joe Biden doesn’t belong on a picket line, he belongs on the unemployment line.” Pence said if elected, he would stand for Americans’ “right to work” and their decision to join a union or not.
Both Pence and Burgum discussed the negative impacts of the Biden administration’s subsidies of electric cars, with Burgum saying they’re detrimental to the car manufacturing industry.
3. Did DeSantis reverse his decline?
All eyes were on DeSantis ahead of the debate: He’s second to Trump in polling and he was facing pressure to see if he could reverse his declining numbers.
In his first response of the night, DeSantis criticized both Trump and Biden, saying that neither of them had shown strong leadership. “Where’s Joe Biden? He’s completely missing in action from leadership. And you know who else is missing in action? Donald Trump is missing in action. He should be on this stage tonight,” he said.
This line earned DeSantis a round of applause. Compared to the first debate, he was more talkative Wednesday night.
Analysts weighed in on DeSantis’ performance.
“Helped by low expectations, DeSantis had a good night. He may not bounce in the polls, but he should have stopped the bleeding,” Liz Peek wrote for Fox News.
“DeSantis needed a standout night given his frail claim to being the leading Trump alternative. He got in the early Trump zinger and gave a crowd pleasing answer about getting tougher on China,” Alex Leary and Eliza Collins wrote for The Wall Street Journal. “... But DeSantis, like the other candidates, struggled for debate dominance in the cacophony.”
4. Foreign relations, the border and China
Candidates discussed what stance the United States should take regarding China’s role in the opioid crisis, illegal immigration and preventative terrorism measures.
Ramaswamy said, “I favor ending birthright citizenship of children of illegal immigrants.” He later added, “We will declare independence from China.”
Haley critiqued how Trump handled relations with China. She said, “He focused on trade with China. He didn’t focus on the fact that they were buying up our farmland. He didn’t focus on the fact that they were killing Americans. He didn’t focus on the fact that they were stealing $600 billion in intellectual property.”
Mike Pence said as vice president, he reduced illegal immigration by 90%. “A nation without borders is not a nation.” He added, “I know how to do it and we will do it again.”
DeSantis said securing the border will be a Day 1 issue for him, declaring it a national emergency.
5. The elephant not in the room
Trump was once again the elephant not in the room. He was criticized by some of the candidates, but they did not bring up his criminal indictments.
At the onset of the debate, besides DeSantis, Christie also criticized Trump for not being present at the debate. “You’re not here tonight because you’re afraid of being on the stage and defending your record,” he said. “You keep doing that, and no one up here is going to call you Donald Trump anymore. We’re gonna call you Donald Duck.”
Christie again attacked Trump for calling Russian President Vladimir Putin a “brilliant and good leader” in his discussion of Ukraine.
DeSantis went after Trump for his comments on abortion and criticized Trump for not being present to defend his record.
6. Crime
When asked, “How would you reduce crime in America?” Christie drew on his experience as an attorney, saying he “went after the crime that was affecting peoples’ lives.”
Perino asked DeSantis how he would address the “revolving door of criminals” in the United States. DeSantis responded he would better support police. “As president I will use the Justice Department ... we need to choose law and order over rioting and disorder.”
Ramaswamy called fentanyl “bio-terrorism,” saying he would wage war on the mass importation of drugs into the U.S. He also expressed the need for faith-based mental health care.
Pence said, “We’re going to pass a federal expedited death penalty for anyone involved in a mass shooting, so they will meet their fate in months, not years.”
7. TikTok in the debate and in the ads
Social media restrictions were a tense part of the debate.
Ramaswamy voiced his position on social media restrictions a couple of times during the debate. He said anyone under the age of 16 should not have access to social media.
After Ramswamy expressed his opinion, Haley said she feels “dumber” when she hears him talk. She described TikTok as “one of the most dangerous social media apps” and called out Ramaswamy for joining TikTok to appeal to votes.
While not much else was said about social media during the debate, TikTok ads made an appearance during commercial breaks. Like during the first debate, there were a couple of commercials for TikTok that looked like they were trying to appeal to conservative critics of the app.
8. Candidates speak on Ukraine
On Ukraine, DeSantis expressed the need to defend Americans and said he will end the war. As commander in chief, DeSantis said, “I will defend this country.”
Scott, who supports funding Ukraine, said, “90% of the money we send over there (Ukraine) is a loan.”
“Our national vital interest is in degrading the Russian military,” Scott said.
Ramaswamy responded, “We need to level with the American people on this issue. Just because Putin is an evil dictator, that does not mean Ukraine is good.” He said, “China is the real enemy and we’re driving Russia further into China’s arms.”
9. DeSantis and Christie talk about abortion
In the aftermath of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, abortion has emerged as a key issue for voters. Perino asked DeSantis how he will win “independent, pro-choice voters in Arizona.”
DeSantis said he did not think that anti-abortion policies were responsible for losses in the midterms. He referenced his record in Florida and said he’s confident he could convince voters like he did in his home state. He called on Trump to defend his comments about abortion legislation and criticized Trump for not being present to do so.
Christie also responded to the question about abortion and said Republicans needed to approach abortion by caring about life at every stage.
10. Which candidate should be voted off the stage?
When Perino asked candidates to write down which person on the stage should be voted off, DeSantis said he thought it was a “disrespectful” question. The other candidates seemed to agree.
Perino pivoted and asked the candidates what their mathematical path was to victory, considering the poll data showing Trump ahead. DeSantis responded that “polls don’t elect people, voters elect presidents.”
Christie ended up answering the question about who should be “voted off the island” and said he would pick Donald Trump. Ramaswamy then defended Trump and said the America First agenda isn’t particular to one person, but he respected Trump’s presidential record.
Bonus: Jonathan Roumie made an appearance in an ad
Jonathan Roumie, who plays Jesus in “The Chosen,” appeared in an ad for the prayer app Hallow during a commercial break.