The Daily Signal - What You Missed in Likely Last GOP Debate Before Iowa Votes for President

Starting point is 00:00:07 This is the Daily Signal podcast for Thursday, December 7th. I'm Virginia Allen. Last night was the fourth presidential primary GOP debate. Four candidates were on stage. Florida governor Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramoswamy, and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. Former President Donald Trump again chose to not participate and instead held a fundraising event on Wednesday night. joining us right now on the show to break down the biggest moments and policy discussions from the fourth debate is the Director of Government Relations at Heritage Action for America, Sarah Feldposh. Sarah, thanks for being with us. Of course. So this is the fourth debate.

Starting point is 00:00:52 This is expected to be the final debate before the Iowa caucuses on January 15th, began on January 15th. What was different about this debate from the previous three? Well, for starters and most notable, right, was one last candidate. Tim Scott has dropped out since the last debate in early November. So that was an absence on stage. And I think, you know, four candidates staring down the camera and the questions from the moderators, you definitely had more time on stage. And I think they kind of broadened up the topics.

Starting point is 00:01:27 But, you know, some of the ones that the topics, right, that stuck out and maintained from the last debate, they continued the discussion around the Hamas terror attacks in Israel, you know, border security and immigration, debt and deficit. But then they also introduced some different topics, and I thought was really good to hear from the candidates and hear where their head was at on some topic. Central Bank digital currency, for example, that DeSantis brought up. You had sort of bloated government agency topic that was mentioned by several candidates on stage, election integrity, you know, threats of the Chinese Chinese. Communist Party, health care was even brought up, which really has been lacking spotlight in any of the debates thus far. So that was kind of the top line from me on differences from the last debate in this one. And I know one of those other topics that before we started recording,

Starting point is 00:02:18 we had mentioned and talked about briefly, that was a little bit new to this debate, to the fourth debate, was the topic of higher education and issues there and even some of the things that we've seen recently on Capitol Hill with having three heads of major universities testify in relation to anti-Semitism on their campuses. What did you make of the discussion around higher education? Yeah, this week was a really big week at the House Education Workforce Committee on the Hill. We had, you know, as you mentioned, three university presidents come in and testify, you know, sort of to what's happening on their campuses in relation to the student activity and harassment, really, at the

Starting point is 00:02:59 universities, and what's happening there and the lack right of action against some students and faculty members in our higher education system. But I thought it was interesting that DeSantis mentioned the issue, and he was actually brought up by him and not a moderator. He had mentioned sort of the core problems in higher education, the cost of higher education that touched on student loan issues, generally speaking. But I thought that it's an important moment, right, because we did have that, you know, that highlighted in the committee this week and then to hear from DeSantis on sort of getting

Starting point is 00:03:33 out the root issues in higher education is an important moment right now. Among some of the major issues that were talked about that have been talked about during previous debates, things like the border, Israel, China, things related to gender identity and kids, are there any major differences between the four candidates on stage that you saw come out on Wednesday night or by and large, do you think all the candidates are decently in lockstep on some of those major issues that we as conservatives really deeply care about? Well, I think in foreign policy, you're seeing some differences sort of come to head, especially in particular as it relates to Ukraine aid and additionally to Ukraine.

Starting point is 00:04:21 You know, as you mentioned at the start of the call, right, I work on Capitol Hill day in and day out and kind of advocating for the positions, you know, that we've outlined at Heritage Action that are really informed by the policy that, you know, coming out of the Heritage Foundation. And it was, it was striking to hear Vivek Ramoswamy come out again with his, what he dubbed a reasonable peace agreement in Ukraine, kind of getting to the point that this conflict in Ukraine, you know, isn't going to end well for Ukraine and that Russia certainly does have the upper hand. And that is in stark contrast to the position of, you know, some more establishment, foreign policy-minded people like a Nikki Haley on stage, right? So that's a one difference that was certainly highlighted tonight and elevated. I think that they've had that difference, you know, in previous debates, but was really brought to the forefront tonight.

Starting point is 00:05:16 It really said the, quote, end quote, gender affirming care. You know, I thought it was kind of interesting. and forth, a multiple back and forth between Governor Ronda Santis and Nikki Haley on a few different issues and kind of going back and forth on the record of Nikki Haley and her position on what she's done in her state as governor on gender affirming care. That difference there was kind of interesting to hear. So I do think, you know, their records are really coming out to play, coming out a little bit more here, and I think the fact-checking is going to be a little bit more significant on this debate than it had been on the other ones. What did you make of the moderators tonight? There were three female moderators, former Fox News host, Megan Kelly, who of course now hosts the Megan Kelly Show, her podcast, News Nations, Elizabeth Vargas, and then Washington Free Beacon, editor-in-chief Eliana Johnson, moderated the debate.

Starting point is 00:06:18 How do you compare these three moderators to maybe moderators that we've seen at the previous three debates? I thought they did well. I think their job, arguably, was easier. They had less candidates on stage, right, for people. But I think it's a tough line and it's tough to balance letting, you know, the candidates debate amongst themselves and show the American people, you know, how they handle differences in policy and differences in messaging and tone. how they interact with people that they disagree with and getting their point across in any given situation. So I think that's good for the American people to see in deciding who they want to be their next president. And I think they also were able to pivot to the next topic a little bit

Starting point is 00:07:04 quicker and more efficiently than previous debates. Again, I think they did a good job, but that's also largely because there were less candidates on stage. Yeah. No, that's a big practical factor that definitely influences it. Well, as I mentioned, the Iowa caucuses begin on January 15th. How many voters do you think are still on the fence at this point about which candidate they're going to support? Yeah, that's tough to say. And I think many voters in Iowa would be happy that I feel that way. You know, voters in Iowa really take that responsibility as the first state coming out the gates in a presidential election really serious for you.

Starting point is 00:07:45 And they call balls in strikes, right? I'll say anecdotally, I was in Iowa for the Iowa State Fair early this year and talking to a lot of voters on the ground. Just talking about the issues generally, you know, it wasn't, a lot of it wasn't a political discussion about, wasn't about any candidate. It was all on the issues. And they really engage with the topics and the policies themselves. And it's much less about the candidates, but really their positions. And you've seen Iowa Governor Reynolds, you know, endorsed the Santis. And that's probably informed and swung some voters into his.

Starting point is 00:08:17 camps, but really, you know, voters in Iowa are still going to evaluate the policy stances that each candidate has. So I think the fact that I don't have an answer to the question is a good thing for voters in Iowa, and I think they're taking their job really seriously, and that's a good thing. That is a good thing. Now, of course, Trump did not, former President Donald Trump did not participate in this fourth debate. He hasn't participated in any of the GOP primary debates. why do you think that he is chosen to either do his own thing, host his own event, or on Wednesday night, of course, he was at a fundraiser and chose to give, deliver a town hall event per Fox News on Tuesday night instead?

Starting point is 00:09:01 Well, I think it's a calculated move, right, by him and his campaign. You know, he's up by 50 points in some polls and, you know, his lead is steady and gaining. I think there's that opportunity too with Hannity, right? It was the center stage. He's able to speak to the voters directly. That's the strength of his and communicating directly with the voters, not competing for stage time and answering and waiting for the microphone to come on him and waiting for his turn to answer the question.

Starting point is 00:09:35 You like to speak directly to voters. And I think this opportunity with Hannity in the town hall format really allowed him that opportunity. Well, we know that going into the election, one of the major issues on the minds of all Americans, it's inflation, it's the economy, and we also know that the national debt drives inflation up, and it harms the economy. And that issue of our national debt was one that Trump did discuss with Hannity on Tuesday night during the town hall. What do you think of Trump's comments about the national debt? Yeah, I think he struck a cord with his answer and really the whole conversation that surrounded the national debt crisis,

Starting point is 00:10:18 really, you know, he's linking fossil fuel production to mandatory spending, which was to say Social Security in this instance. And so I think he was able to talk about both in the same breath. And that speaks to a lot of issues that are on the voters' minds right now, right? We have, a huge resource in the U.S. in our ability here to drill in the U.S. and to secure energy independence and stop relying on foreign nations. And I think that that also speaks to, you know,

Starting point is 00:10:52 his acknowledgement that the U.S. has so much opportunity to grow and invest here in the U.S. Yeah, so critical. There was a moment in an exchange on Tuesday night between Hannity and Trump that has been talked a lot quite a bit in the press and even drew some attention during the debate on Wednesday night. And that was Hannity asked Trump, are you going to be a dictator?

Starting point is 00:11:19 He said, you're not going to be a dictator, are you? And Trump sort of jokingly said back, I love this guy. He says, you're not going to be a dictator, are you? I say no, no, no, other than day one. We are closing the border and drilling, drilling, drilling, drilling. Other than that, I am not a dictator. So this has gotten a lot of attention. What do you make of these comments and just sort of this exchange between Hannity and Trump?

Starting point is 00:11:44 Well, first I thought that the, I mean, it's fascinating framing, right, that Hannity teed up the question saying that, you know, a lot of media outlets are kind of painting him in this lens that he is going to be some sort of dictator, whatever that would look like, especially considering the administration and the president that's in office right now. and all of the egregious rulemaking that's coming out of this administration. So to really, just the premise of the question I thought was not necessarily than Hannity's point, but because he was referencing, you know, other media outlets in the question itself. But I just thought it's a fascinating dynamic that you have this administration that's coming out with massive student loan, you know, quote-unquote cancellation, which is really just a debt-shifting scheme, right? And you have, I mean, EV mandates effectively where it's a gas car ban. There's so many things coming out of this administration. And then you're going to ask, right, a presidential candidate,

Starting point is 00:12:47 if he's going to be a dictator, it's just a little silly to me, the framing of the news media. But outside of that, I mean, the response to the question was really just a reiteration of what would be Trump's priorities, which he mentioned were, well, production and immigration border security. Yeah, he was very clear on that. Sarah, want to give you the last word here, any final thoughts as we go, either in regards to President Trump's, former President Trump's town hall on Tuesday night or to comments made at the debate on Wednesday night. I'll say I'm excited to get into the new year where you have, you know, coming into the end of this year, there have been several debates, you know, it's been an interesting time where you have

Starting point is 00:13:34 the former president, you know, separating himself from the group of other candidates that are, you know, dwindling down now. And you've had, you know, in each successive debate, you know, candidates drop out. And at the same time, those scheduled debates, of those scheduled debates, you have Trump either to a town hall or some sort of rally, you know, closely related to that timing of the debate. And I'll be curious to see in the new year, you know, as the debate side starts to settle down and you start to see, you know, the caucuses and the primaries heat up and then moving into March and super Tuesday, you know, where voters' minds are really at into voting groups. Lots to be looking forward to here. And it's nice we have a little bit of time.

Starting point is 00:14:20 Things will slow down a little bit over the holidays. And we really, really appreciate your time. Sarah, thank you for joining us today. Sarah Feldposh of the Heritage Action for America. Sarah, thank you. Thank you. And with that, that's going to do it for today's episode. Thank you to our listeners for being with us today.

Starting point is 00:14:41 If you haven't had the chance, make sure that you check out our evening show. It's right here in the same podcast feed. We're every day around 5 p.m. We bring you the top news of the day. Those are the stories that you need to know to stay informed. Also, make sure to subscribe to the Daily Signal podcast wherever you like to listen to podcasts. We're across all podcast platforms. Thanks again for being with us today.

Starting point is 00:15:01 Have a great Thursday. We will see you right back here around 5 p.m. for our top news edition. The Daily Signal podcast is brought to you by more than half a million members of the Heritage Foundation. Executive producers are Rob Luey and Kate Trinko. Producers are Virginia Allen and Samantha Asheras. Sound designed by Lauren Evans, Mark Geinney, and John Pop. To learn more, please visit DailySignal.com.

The Daily Signal - What You Missed in Likely Last GOP Debate Before Iowa Votes for President

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.