Republican Candidates Navigate How to Address Trump in Second Debate

Republican presidential candidates are preparing for their second debate, where they face a delicate challenge: addressing Donald Trump without alienating his loyal supporters. While it’s customary for challengers to criticize the frontrunner in presidential races, many of the GOP candidates have been cautious in criticizing the former president, given his strong backing among Republican voters.

The reluctance to confront Trump head-on stems from the candidates’ need to maintain support from voters who have previously backed him, voters crucial for securing the GOP presidential nomination in 2024. Republican pollster Whit Ayres explained, “You don’t go after Trump frontally to appeal to those people.” Instead, candidates are expected to criticize Trump indirectly by arguing that he represents the Republican Party’s past, without mentioning his upcoming potential criminal trials in 2024.

Donald Trump will be absent from the debate, as he opted not to participate to avoid providing his opponents with free opportunities to attack him. Instead, Trump will visit Michigan to engage with supporters. However, some Republicans, including former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, have criticized the low-key strategy, suggesting that candidates will need to directly challenge Trump if they hope to catch up to him in the polls.

Chris Christie, one of the debaters, has vowed to confront Trump, stating that he is the only candidate willing to do so. The other candidates in the debate, such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, former Vice President Mike Pence, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, have been more reserved in their criticism of Trump, primarily focusing on policy differences.

While some candidates have contrasted themselves with Trump on various issues, others have recently criticized him for his evolving stance on abortion. Pence, who has faced pressure from Trump regarding the 2020 election outcome, has emphasized a more traditional conservative platform, distancing himself from Trump-style “populism.”

Overall, the candidates must strike a delicate balance during the debate. They need to differentiate themselves from Trump while also appealing to voters who still support the former president. “Maybe Trump” voters, who make up a significant portion of the GOP, are willing to consider other candidates but do not want to feel insulted or mocked for their past support of Trump.

Political analysts predict that candidates will focus on Trump’s electability problem in the general election rather than attacking him directly. However, the dynamics between Trump and the rest of the Republican field may change as the Iowa caucuses, the first state-level election of the GOP primary, rapidly approach on January 15, 2024.