US Presidential Elections 2024: Republican contenders struggle to secure in second primary debate against Trump

The second presidential primary debate among Donald Trump's Republican competitors will take place. All participants aim to seize a defining moment that might shift the course of the primary race, which currently heavily favours the former president.

As reported by Reuters, the debate, hosted at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute in Simi Valley, California, will feature seven Republican candidates. Notably, Donald Trump, the leading contender, will not be present. The debate is scheduled to commence at 9 p.m. ET (01:00 GMT on Thursday).

These candidates are competing against Trump to secure the Republican Party's nomination and ultimately challenge President Joe Biden, who is expected to be the Democratic Party's candidate in the November 2024 election.

Despite holding a significant lead over his closest rival in the nomination race, with a 37 percentage point advantage as indicated by the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, Trump has chosen to skip the debate, just as he did with the previous one in Wisconsin last month.

Instead of participating in the debate, Trump intends to deliver a speech at 8 p.m. ET to a Detroit audience consisting of workers. This move puts him at the center of a nationwide conflict between striking employees and the top automakers in the country. This decision comes just a day after President Biden joined a union picket line, further highlighting the political significance of the labor dispute.

Trump has made significant efforts to gain support from unionized automotive workers, although there is still a degree of skepticism among many of these workers. Notably, the United Auto Workers union released a video on Wednesday that contrasted Trump's promises in 2017 to revive blue-collar jobs with the plant closures that occurred during his presidency.

Also Read: US Presidential Election 2024: Indian Americans divided over Vivek Ramaswamy, Nikki Haley

Trump's Republican rivals need to change the trajectory with less than four months until voting begins in Iowa, which holds the first Republican nominating contest, strategists say, as reported by Reuters.

"None of the polling looks good for anybody else and time is running out," said John Feehery, a Republican strategist unaffiliated with any of the candidates.

"The issue now is Trump's seeming inevitability... One of these candidates has to make the case that they are best situated to upset Trump in one of the early states, including Iowa."

Exciting news! Mint is now on WhatsApp Channels. Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest financial insights! Click here!

The Republican National Committee, responsible for coordinating the debates, has selected Fox Business Network as the host for the event. Additionally, Univision, a U.S.-based Spanish-language TV channel, and Rumble, an online video platform favored by conservatives, will be involved in the debate.

One of the debate moderators, Stuart Varney, who is a Fox Business Network anchor, informed Reuters that the candidates will face inquiries on various topics, such as immigration, inflation, crime, and foreign policy.

Reuters reported that Mary Anna Mancuso, a Florida-based Republican strategist, said the prime-time debates - another is planned for November - are rare occasions for candidates to make their case to a national audience, including voters in crucial early nominating states such as Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

Also Read: US Presidential Elections 2024: ‘China an existential threat to US,’ says Indian-American Nikki Haley

Mancuso said Wednesday's debate was especially important for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. She called it potentially "make-or-break" for his candidacy.

DeSantis, 45, who was seen in January as the most likely candidate to topple Trump, has faced sinking poll numbers and two staff shake-ups.

Reuters reported that the governor of Florida gained national recognition by opposing numerous U.S. government COVID-19 containment measures. Subsequently, he has emerged as a prominent figure in the battle against what he views as excessively progressive policies advocated by educators and businesses.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump, who is 77 years old, is currently dealing with multiple legal issues, having faced indictment in four criminal cases this year. However, his lead in opinion polls for the primary race has continued to expand.

Also Read: Major setback for Trump as Judge rules ex-US President and sons committed ‘fraud’ by inflating asset values

In the first debate, on Aug. 23, DeSantis gave a steady, but not flashy, performance. Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, biotech investor Vivek Ramaswamy and former Vice President Mike Pence all had strong outings, but failed to cut into Trump's lead.

Haley did manage to close the gap with DeSantis for second place, particularly in some crucial states. Donors weighing where to put their money will be looking at whether she can duplicate that performance on Wednesday night.

All four candidates will be on stage again, along with Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum.

To the extent any of the candidates have commented on debate strategy, none have signaled a major tactical shift.

In a Wednesday post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, Haley wrote that "America deserves a choice, not an echo," a lightly veiled jab at Ramaswamy and DeSantis for standing behind Trump.

DeSantis has typically refrained from openly criticizing Trump, but his comments have become more direct and pointed in the recent weeks.

In a pre-debate memo to supporters, DeSantis campaign manager James Uthmeier criticized the former president, saying Trump had "admitted his intent to capitulate to Democrats on key issues" if he is elected.

Trump's decision to skip the debate makes it a potential sideshow, said Kyle Kondik, a non-partisan analyst at the University of Virginia Center for Politics.

"It's hard to present it as having great stakes for the race. The guy who has so much support isn't even there," Kondik said.

(With inputs from Reuters)