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Ugly war of words explodes on GOP stage, Vivek Ramaswamy torches Chris Christie, 'walk off this stage and...'
Fourth Republican Debate: Chris Christie defends Nikki Haley amid scathing attacks from entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
In a heated exchange during the fourth Republican debate in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie fervently defended his rival, Nikki Haley, against attacks from entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
The Biotech entrepreneur slams Haley for her blunt geopolitical expertise saying that “foreign policy experience is not the same as foreign policy wisdom.”
Christie, whose campaign needed a boost, responded passionately, praising Haley as a “smart, accomplished woman.” He rebuked Ramaswamy, saying, “This is the fourth debate that you would be voted in the first 20 minutes as the most obnoxious blowhard in America,” after a 17-minute wait for a question from moderators, including Megyn Kelly.
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Ramaswamy retorted, mocking Christie’s foreign policy experience as merely “closing a bridge from New Jersey to New York,” and suggested Christie exit the race.
“His version of foreign policy experience was closing a bridge from New Jersey to New York. So do everybody a favor, just walk yourself off that stage, enjoy a nice meal, and get the h**l out of this race,” he said.
What do Joe Biden and Nikki Haley have in common?
The debate over Ukraine brought further clashes between Christie and Ramaswamy. The latter called for a “reasonable peace deal” with Russia and criticized both Haley and President Joe Biden for supporting what he called a “pointless war.” Ramaswamy claimed neither could name three provinces in Eastern Ukraine, where they supposedly wanted to send American troops.
“One thing that Joe Biden and Nikki Haley have in common is that neither of them could even state for you three provinces in Eastern Ukraine that they want to send our troops to actually fight for.”
Ramaswamy continued his attack, dismissing Haley’s U.N. experience and questioning her foreign policy credentials.
Throughout this, Haley maintained a composed demeanor, prompting Ramaswamy to point out her “blank expression” and allege her ignorance of the provinces’ names.
Christie opened the debate by criticizing Trump and the other candidates, likening them to Voldemort for avoiding the topic of the frontrunner.
“And yet I've got these three guys who are all seeming to compete with, you know, Voldemort – he who should not be named. They don't want to talk about it.”
The former New Jersey Gov. later condemned Ramaswamy for insulting Haley’s intelligence rather than her political positions, emphasizing his 12-year acquaintance with Haley and contrasting it with Ramaswamy’s lack of political experience.
Christie insulted Ramaswamy, remarking that he was "learning about the provinces while sitting with this smart-a** mouth at Harvard," contrasting it with the 61-year-old's actively combating terrorists.
