Posted on 09/28/23
| News Source: i24
Former President Donald Trump continues to skip the primary debates, opting to meet auto industry workers in the highly contended state of Michigan
Republican U.S. presidential candidates sparred at the second GOP primary debate on Wednesday night, all of whom slammed frontrunner and former president, Donald Trump, for another no-show.
"You're ducking these things, and let me tell you what's going to happen. You keep doing that, no one up here is gonna call you Donald Trump anymore. We're gonna call you a Donald Duck," former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said, receiving boos in response.
Christie faced off against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, political newcomer Vivek Ramaswamy, former UN ambassador Nikki Haley, Trump's vice president Mike Pence, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgu.
The former president decided to skip all the primary debates, opting this time to meet auto industry workers in the highly contended state of Michigan. He is also currently bogged down by several civil and criminal court cases across the United States.
"Joe Biden claims to be the most pro-union president in history. Nonsense. Think of it. His entire career has been an act of economic treason and union destruction," Trump said in a speech, with the labor strike garnering a first question at the debate.
Trump's legal troubles haven’t dented his polling lead, with 59 percent of Republican primary voters in a new NBC News poll making him their top choice, with DeSantis a distant runner-up at 16 percent.
DeSantis took the opportunity to attack Trump, saying he should defend his record, for adding “$7.8 trillion to the debt that set the stage for the inflation that we have."
The debate was held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute in Simi Valley, California, moderated by Fox Business and Univision.