Republicans tussle over immigration, China, Trump at second primary debate

The seven Republicans on stage at their party's second 2024 presidential primary debate have aimed to convince voters they could be a viable alternative to frontrunner Donald Trump, who skipped the event in Simi Valley, California.

It took more than 15 minutes for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to speak on Wednesday, but when he did, he unloaded on former president Trump in a way he has not before.

He said Trump, who was speaking to a crowd of autoworkers in Detroit on Wednesday instead of joining the debate, should have been on the stage with his primary rivals.

"Donald Trump is missing an action. He should be on the stage tonight," DeSantis said.

"He owes it to you to defend his record where they added 7.8 trillion to the debt. That set the stage for the inflation that we have now."

DeSantis had patiently bided his time as all the other contenders on stage took questions on the economy.

It was not an ideal start for a candidate who desperately needs to reverse his fading fortunes.

The most recent Reuters/Ipsos poll had him falling almost 40 percentage points behind Trump.

In some early-voting states, such as New Hampshire, he is in danger of dropping into the middle of the pack.

Whether DeSantis, 45, ultimately will benefit from taking on the most popular figure in the party remains to be seen, but his combativeness toward Trump, 77, was something some of his supporters and donors have wanted to see for months.

Hardline against illegal immigration

Asked about the flow of illegal immigration across America’s southern border, the candidates tried to outdo one another by showing how hardline their policies would be.

It was a clear reflection of how illegal immigration and border security are among the top concerns for Republican primary voters.

Ex-New Jersey governor Chris Christie said he would send the National Guard to the US-Mexico border "on Day One."

Nikki Haley, former UN ambassador and South Carolina governor, promised to create an additional 25,000 Border Patrol and immigration enforcement jobs at the border, keep asylum seekers in Mexico, and immediately deport captured refugees who enter illegally.

Not to be upstaged, biotech investor Vivek Ramaswamy went even further.

He pledged universal deportation for all immigrants who enter illegally and their children, the complete militarisation of the southern border and the end of birthright citizenship for the children of refugees who enter illegally born on US soil.

"If the kid of a Mexican diplomat doesn't enjoy birthright citizenship, then neither does the kid of an illegal migrant who broke the law to come here," Ramaswamy said.

There were several questions about the growing challenge from Beijing, and Ramaswamy defended his attendance at an event hosted by Chinese-owned video app TikTok, which is banned on US government devices, by saying he was reaching out to young people.

"Honestly, every time I hear you, I feel a little bit dumber for what you say," Haley told the entrepreneur.

'New levels of cringe'

Former vice president Mike Pence was so eager to use his one-liner, he decided to refer to an earlier question about the United Auto Workers strike rather than one he was asked.

"Joe Biden doesn't belong on the picket line. He belongs on the unemployment line," Pence joked before pausing for a roar from the crowd that never came.

That didn't stop Christie from trying a little humour himself in blasting Trump for skipping the debate.

Addressing the camera, Christie adopted the pose of speaking to the former president directly.

"You're not here tonight because you're afraid of being on this stage and defending your record. You’re ducking these things," Christie said, his finger pointed in challenge.

"And let me tell you what's going to happen if you keep doing that. No one up here is going to call you Donald Trump anymore. We're gonna call you Donald Duck."

There were some hoots but more moans from the audience, likely because much of the crowd, like the Republican Party, was comprised of voters who like Trump.

Christie’s campaign tried to make it viral by posting it on X, the social media site once known as Twitter.

One commenter noted, "We’ve reached new levels of cringe."