Under the wings of the modified Boeing 707 that served as Air Force One from 1972 to 2001, seven Republicans tried their hardest on Wednesday evening to break out from the pack and have their moment under the lights at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California, during the second GOP primary debate.
As with the first debate, there was plenty of crosstalk, some shouting for attention, bickering among candidates, and endless instances of candidates running past the time allotted for answers and talking over moderators Dana Perino, Stuart Varney, and Ilia Calderón.
In no particular order, here are seven can't-miss moments from the second Republican presidential primary debate.
Much Ado About Curtains
Less Shakespearean comedy and more a South Carolinian showdown, Nikki Haley and Tim Scott traded barbs and blame over some...curtains! Mercifully, Moderator Stuart Varney finally broke through the wild gestures and drama to throw to a commercial break.
The American people are on the edge of their seats to know how the truth behind #CurtainGate! pic.twitter.com/NdzCPdjKxN
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) September 28, 2023
Ramaswamy v. Scott
Vivek Ramaswamy and Senator Tim Scott squared off shortly after the debate started and, after DeSantis briefly joined the scrum, it's unclear whether anyone knows what points were actually made. All that was clear was that Trump and Democrats were probably enjoying the chaos.
CHAOS! pic.twitter.com/Pc8DRHKXgm
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) September 28, 2023
"Sleeping With a Teacher"
Not that anyone was necessarily asking — the moderators certainly weren't — but the second debate saw former Vice President Mike Pence disclose that he's been "sleeping with a teacher" for 38 years after Chris Christie attacked President Biden for "sleeping with a member of a teachers union" in a previous answer.
MIKE PENCE: "I've been sleeping with a teacher for 38 years...full disclosure!" pic.twitter.com/sEJxBeqAIP
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) September 28, 2023
DeSantis v. Univision Moderator
Raising more questions about how primary debate moderators and topics are chosen by the RNC, Univision's Ilia Calderón posed a question — one of many that raised viewers' eyebrows — to DeSantis which fully bought into the left's false narrative about Florida's education standards. Calderón stated as supposed fact that black history curriculum — developed by black historians and similar to that used in liberal institutions — have "hurt" people in the Sunshine State. The question may have been a waste of limited debate time, but DeSantis still took the opportunity to quickly dispatch with the Democrat "hoax."
Ron DeSantis claps back at a moderator who says people are "still hurt" by Florida's curriculum on black history:
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) September 28, 2023
"That's a HOAX that was perpetrated by Kamala Harris!" pic.twitter.com/eX6nC0PBtd
What the Duck?
After his success zinging "sounds like ChatGPT" Vivek Ramaswamy and calling him out for ripping off an Obama quote, Chris Christie tried to land another soundbite on Wednesday night, this time by threatening a new nickname for Trump.
Chris Christie confidently, straight to camera, threatens Donald Trump with the nickname "Donald Duck." pic.twitter.com/8JqYrWGz1T
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) September 28, 2023
Burgum's Back...Barely
After clearing the RNC's criteria to participate in the second debate at the last minute, Doug Burgum was seemingly back on his feet following a basketball-related injury just before the first debate, but his attempts to chime in without being called on quickly had the moderators crying foul until Perino threatened to cut his mic. When he tried more politely to chime in, moderators weren't having any of it.
YIKES—Burgum shut down by the moderators as the audience laughs. pic.twitter.com/nyEDDwZJHH
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) September 28, 2023
Haley Returns to the Scene of the Crime
After taking Ramaswamy to task in the first GOP debate and proverbially slapping him with a "you have no foreign policy experience and it shows," Nikki Haley again lit him up in the second debate, this time putting an even finer point on her criticism saying she feels "a little bit dumber" every time she hears Ramaswamy.
Nikki Haley to Vivek Ramaswamy:
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) September 28, 2023
"Honestly, every time I hear you I feel a little bit dumber." pic.twitter.com/gdMAbs3swy
While federally provided curtains, who's sleeping with teachers, Donald Duck, and an absurd number of interruptions and outbursts aren't likely to see any of the participating candidates surge the 40 or more points necessary to directly challenge Trump for the nomination, these moments proved again why the 2024 primary has remained largely a spectator sport for the enjoyment of those who find it entertaining to watch their conservative heroes bicker about anything and everything, no matter how seemingly unimportant those things are in light of the very real challenges facing Americans.
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