Reagan and Trump loom above second GOP debate

Though neither was present, two larger-than-life Republicans towered over the presidential primary debate stage Wednesday night: Donald Trump and Ronald Reagan.

Former President Trump, the runaway front-runner for the 2024 GOP nomination, again opted not to participate. But unlike in the first debate, this time his intraparty rivals went after him. Even Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, polling a distant second, finally took the gloves off, calling Mr. Trump "missing in action" for not debating. 

The late President Reagan was present both visually and in spirit. The debate took place at his presidential library in Simi Valley, California, and clips from his time in office played throughout. But the Reagan aura only served to show how much the current-day Republican Party is stomping all over his legacy.

From the start, the debate was ugly, with candidates talking over each other and ignoring the rules. At times, the Fox News moderators lost control. Eventually, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy stated the obvious, referencing Mr. Reagan’s so-called 11th Commandment – “Thou shalt not speak ill of another Republican” – and urging the other six candidates, “Let’s have a legitimate disagreement.”

It was, in a way, a mea culpa by Mr. Ramaswamy, a brash young political novice who had spent the first debate attacking his fellow Republicans – earning headlines but not, it turned out, a bump in the polls.

On substance, too, Wednesday’s debate showed how far the GOP has strayed from some Reagan values. A video clip was shown of the 40th president calling for an “amnesty” for those in the United States illegally. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who used to support a pathway to citizenship for unauthorized immigrants, called for “enforcing the law.”

Mr. Reagan’s devotion to fighting tyranny abroad also came under challenge, as candidates debated U.S. aid to Ukraine. Former Vice President Mike Pence and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley defended the Reagan perspective, while Governor DeSantis reflected the Trumpian “America First” rhetoric of “no blank check” to Ukraine while “our own country is being invaded” – a reference to the crisis on the U.S. southern border.

The debate contained its share of zingers, including Ms. Haley’s attack on Mr. Ramaswamy after he defended his recent decision to join TikTok, a Chinese-owned app. “Honestly,” she said, “every time I hear you, I feel a little bit dumber for what you say.”

Mr. Christie called the ex-president “Donald Duck” for refusing to debate. But the reality is, Mr. Trump can afford not to debate – as his gain in the polls after skipping the last debate showed. Instead, he addressed former and current autoworkers at a nonunion manufacturing plant in suburban Detroit the day after President Joe Biden made history by joining a United Auto Workers picket line near Detroit.

Mr. Trump mocked his rivals, and suggested none are worthy of being his running mate in 2024. “Does anybody see any VP in the group?” he asked. “I don’t think so.”

As with the last GOP debate, Ms. Haley garnered positive reviews for her performance – leading some pundits to pine for a head-to-head showdown between Ms. Haley, who was also governor of South Carolina, and Mr. Trump. Polling averages show a Trump-Biden race as a dead heat, while a Haley-Biden race shows the South Carolinian solidly ahead.

But a two-person GOP nomination race is hardly imminent, and time is running short. When asked whom they would “vote off the island” during the debate, the candidates balked, with Mr. DeSantis calling the idea “disrespectful to my fellow competitors.” It’s still very much Mr. Trump’s party.