'Donald Duck' & Ukraine's 'Blank Check': Takeaways From GOP's Second Primary Debate

The second debate yet again saw no participation from former US President Donald Trump, who instead opted to capitalize on the United Auto Workers' (UAW) strike in Michigan and blast his successor.

The Republican Party's second 2024 presidential primary debate was held late Wednesday, and saw participants weigh in on topics ranging from illegal immigration, an absent former US president, continued US aid to Ukraine and the presidential spotlight recently placed on the United Auto Workers' strike.

The latest debate took place at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, and included a total of seven participants: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, former Vice President Mike Pence, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum.

The next GOP debate will take place in Miami, Florida, on November 8.

Knives Out for Trump

unlike the initial event, its follow-up saw candidates step up their attacks against the uncontested GOP frontrunner, former US President Donald Trump.

Where the first debate saw Republican contenders make an effort to steer away from mentioning Trump, the second iteration of the talks caught candidates taking the former commander-in-chief to task.

“He should be on this stage tonight,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told viewers of Trump. “He owes it to you to defend his record where they added $7.8 trillion to the debt. That set the stage for the inflation we have now.”

While taking a dig at US President Joe Biden, DeSantis also remarked that Trump was "missing in action."

Chris Christie labels Trump ‘Donald Duck’ 🥴pic.twitter.com/sbsrIGRJLe

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) September 28, 2023

Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, who earlier proclaimed that Trump was the "best president of the 21st century," joined in on the dragging campaign as well, albeit less forcefully. Ramaswamy remarked the "America First" agenda needed to be taken to the "next level."

Elsewhere, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who was once close to the Trump administration and has since turned his back on the former president, went so far as to refer to Trump as "Donald Duck."

“Donald, I know you’re watching. You can’t help yourself,” Christie said. “You’re ducking these things. And let me tell you what’s going to happen. You keep doing that, no one up here’s going to call you Donald Trump anymore. We’re going to call you Donald Duck.”

DeSantis' No 'Blank Check' for Ukraine & 'Hard Approach' on China

Florida's Ron DeSantis vowed during the second round of the Republican debates that there would be no "blank check" for Ukraine if he becomes the next US president, taking the opportunity to also promise an end to the ongoing Ukraine conflict.

"It’s in our interest to end this war [in Ukraine]. That’s what I will do as president. We are not going to have a blank check. We will not have US troops [in Ukraine]. We're gonna make the Europeans do what they need to do," DeSantis said on Wednesday night.

DeSantis further remarked that the task of protecting the United States from waves of uncontrolled immigration on the US-Mexico border as more important than helping Ukraine.

"Our own country is being invaded. We don't even have control of our own territory. We have got to defend the American people before we even worry about all these other things," DeSantis added.

Earlier in September, US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters that there is no such thing as a "blank check" for Ukraine given that all US assistance for Kiev is done in consultation with Congress.

DeSantis' comments on the topic come amid growing backlash from hardline Republicans looking to cease endless Ukraine aid so funds can be turned toward solving domestic issues.

The Florida governor also used his time at the podium to vow a "hard power" approach against China, all while voicing his concerns regarding China's partnerships with Latin America.

"They are our top geopolitical adversary," DeSantis said. "We’ve got to beat him [Chinese President Xi Jinping] on the economy."

DeSantis noted the United States relies on China for a whole host of issues and must decouple its important industries. "The reason we’re in this mess is that elites in DC for far too long have chosen surrender over strength," he claimed.

Biden has made moves to shift the US supply chain away from China, however, the US administration has rejected claims of intentionally decoupling the two economies. US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimond earlier emphasized during bilateral talks that the US was not looking to cut Sino-US business ties, but that companies were viewing China as "uninvestable."

Biden Slammed for Joining UAW Strike

Republican candidates also took aim and slammed Biden for joining the UAW strike, blaming his administration's economic policies as the real reason for the strike.

"Joe Biden should not be on the picket line. He should be on the southern border working to close our southern border because it is unsafe, wide open and insecure," Scott said during the debate.

Commenting on the ongoing strike, Ramaswamy called upon protesters to come to Washington, DC, and organize a picket in front of the White House because "that's really where the protests need to be."

Pence, who spent the majority of the debate setting his sights against Ramaswamy, said Biden "doesn't belong on a picket line, he belongs on the unemployment line." The former US vice president added that Bidenomics has failed, and that Biden’s green agenda is good for China and bad for workers in Detroit, Michigan.

"Why are those workers actually there? It's because of all of the spending that Biden has pushed through in the economy that's raised the inflation," Haley chimed in.

North Dakota governor Doug Burgum stated the UAW strike was rooted in Biden’s interference with capital markets.

"People in Washington are shutting down the American dream with their reckless behavior. They borrowed, they printed, they spent, and now you're paying more for everything," DeSantis said.

On Tuesday, September 26, 2023, Biden joined dozens of members of the UAW union during a protest in Michigan in support of their calls for increased wages and benefits. He made very brief remarks at the picket line and departed after just a few minutes.

Nearly 19,000 US auto workers are on strike at dozens of plants belonging to Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis. The actions of the UAW were prompted by failed negotiations to secure wage increases for workers. The UAW demands included a 46% pay increase and a reduced work week of 32 hours, among other provisions.

Tackling Mass Shootings

Shifting gears to firearm-related deaths within the US, Pence told viewers he intends to pass a federal expedited death penalty for anyone involved in a mass shooting if he is elected the next US president.

"If I'm president of the United States, I'm going to go to the Congress of the United States, and we're going to pass a federal expedited death penalty for anyone involved in a mass shooting so that they meet their fate in months, not years," Pence said.

Earlier in September, the Gun Violence Archive monitoring portal said that there have been 502 cases of mass shootings in the US since the beginning of the year.

In late August, the group said the frequency of mass shooting incidents increased in 2023 compared with previous years. If the current dynamics at two cases of mass shootings per day continues, the figure will have amounted to 700 cases by the end of 2023, it said.

The number of mass shooting cases with four or more killed or wounded has almost tripled over the past decade. In 2014, the US registered 272 such cases. The number of cases totaled 610 in 2020 and has been growing since then, which means that the years of Joe Biden’s presidency may become the worst in terms of mass shootings rate.

Biden has declared gun violence a top priority of his administration but admitted last year that guns remain the "number one killer of children" in the US.