TRUMP’S RIVALS PLEDGE TO BACK ISRAEL AMID SWIPES AT THIRD REPUBLICAN DEBATE Trump is still way out in the lead
Trump’s rivals pledge to back Israel amid swipes at third Republican debate.
For the third time, Donald Trump’s rivals for the Republican presidential nomination took to the debate stage on Wednesday night in his absence, seeking a way to dislodge the former president from his commanding lead in opinion polls.
While contenders such as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley briefly criticized Trump, the latest episode did not appear any likelier to alter the dynamics of a race that Trump has dominated for months.
The candidates spent much of the two-hour event assailing one another as they strove to emerge as Trump’s chief opponent with less than 10 weeks before the first statewide nominating contest in Iowa. They will have another opportunity on Dec. 6, when a fourth debate will take place in Alabama.
For his part, Trump held a rival event nearby, where he mocked the participants and demanded that the Republican Party stop “wasting time” with “unwatchable” debates.
With only five candidates qualifying for the stage – DeSantis and Haley were joined by U.S. Senator Tim Scott, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy – it was less chaotic than previous encounters.
But it still had its share of cutting exchanges.
