Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy were among five Republican presidential candidates who clashed on the debate stage Wednesday (Nov 8) over the Russia-Ukraine war, China, abortion and more. Donald Trump was absent.
During the debate, Ramaswamy and Haley had several fierce verbal exchanges.
Haley called him “scum” during an intense moment when Ramaswamy mentioned former United Nations Ambassador Haley’s daughter while discussing banning the Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok.
He said that Haley’s daughter had been using the app for a long time, saying, “So you might want to take care of your family first”.
Ramaswamy said, “In the last debate, she made fun of me for actually joining TikTok while her own daughter was actually using the app for a long time. So you might want to take care of your family first.”
Haley interjected, saying: “Leave my family out of your voice.”
However, Ramaswamy kept on going as he said that the “next generation of Americans are using it, and that’s actually the point”.
In response, Haley whispered into the microphone: “You’re just scum.”
Then, Haley told him that “Every time I hear you, I feel a little bit dumber for what you say”.
Not just Haley, Ramaswamy also attacked Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel and NBC News’ Kristen Welker, who was one of the debate moderators.
He referenced the 2016 election and also “the corrupt media establishment”. He also accused her of taking part in a “Trump Russia collusion hoax that you pushed on this network for years. Was that real or was that Hillary Clinton made-up disinformation? Answer the question. Go.”
WATCH: Qatar works for release of hostages in exchange for pause in fighting: Report
Ramaswamy on foreign conflicts
Ramaswamy said that he will make his non-interventionist foreign policy a central plank of his pitch to voters in the coming weeks, he told the news agency Reuters.
He said during the interview, that he would formally introduce a pledge on Tuesday in Miami, on the eve of the third Republican primary date.
He aims to lay out non-interventionist foreign policy principles.
In case he does win the Republican nomination and later the 2024 general election against Democratic President Joe Biden, he said that he would require all political appointees to sign the pledge.
The entrepreneur would eventually ask other elected officials to sign on as well.
Ramaswamy said: “This will be specifically I will call a litmus test for anybody who is an appointee in my administration and a clear signal to our own supporters.”
(With inputs from agencies)
