The five Republicans vying to snatch their party's presidential nomination from former President Donald Trump sparred Wednesday night during a foreign policy-heavy debate in which they echoed some of President Joe Biden's support for Israel while debating how to counter China and manage the relationship with Iran.
They also took a significantly harder line than the Biden administration on how to handle the flow of migrants seeking to enter the U.S. through the border with Mexico.
But on Ukraine, the candidates differed with one another and with the White House, with biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy saying he was "absolutely unpersuaded" by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's appeals for support — going so far as to appear to call the Jewish head of state a Nazi, and a "comedian in cargo pants."
Here's a look at how the group — which also included Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie — differs from the Biden administration, from independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and from Trump.
Calls for Israel to 'finish the job' with Hamas
The candidates largely echoed one another with tough talk about Hamas, with DeSantis saying he would urge Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to "finish the job" in his quest to eradicate the U.S.-designated terrorist group after its October 7 attack killed more than 1,400 people.
Haley, Ramaswamy and Scott used similarly strong language in supporting Israel's offensive, as did Christie, who said Netanyahu "must go in and make sure that Hamas can never do this again."
This support for Israel aligns with that of the White House, though Biden has been careful to moderate his language on the actions of the Israel Defense Forces, with administration officials repeatedly stressing that Israel, as a democracy, is beholden to laws governing warfare.
On Thursday, Biden reiterated his support for Israel, telling reporters that there was "no possibility" of an indefinite cease-fire, although his administration welcomed Israel's announcement that there will be daily four-hour humanitarian pauses.
In an interview with VOA, spokesperson Nathan Tek explained the U.S. position: "What a cease-fire means, in effect, is that Israel would cease firing, but that Hamas, of course, would be allowed to regroup, reattack and freeze the battle as it is."
Kennedy, so far, appears to support the White House, saying in early October, "I applaud the strong statements of support from the Biden White House for Israel in her hour of need."
On Israel, Trump has given mixed and sometimes contradictory messages. Shortly after the Hamas attack, Trump said he would "fully support" Israel over Hamas, but he also drew criticism for criticizing Netanyahu.
'Absolutely unpersuaded' on Ukraine
Ramaswamy stood alone in his strong, unsubstantiated criticism of Ukraine, its leader and its democratic bona fides. That prompted Haley to reply that the presidents of Russia and China "are salivating at the thought that someone like that could become president."
The others took a cautiously supportive line on Ukraine — with Haley calling Putin a "thug" and saying, "I don't think we should give them cash; I think we should give them equipment to win," reflecting the Republican Party's concerns about accountability over the billions of dollars' worth of aid and military supplies Biden has sent to help the nation stave off Russia's invasion.
"The last time that we turned our back on a shooting war in Europe," Christie said, "it bought us just a couple of years. And then 500,000 Americans were killed in Europe to defeat Hitler. This is not a choice. This is the price we pay for being leaders of the free world."
DeSantis and Scott were more ambiguous, both pivoting to talk of threats from waves of irregular migration at the U.S.-Mexico border. In line with the mainstream Republican platform, all candidates on stage Wednesday advocated stronger controls to stop migration along that border.
"We are not going to send your sons and daughters to Ukraine," DeSantis said. "I am going to send troops to our southern border."
Kennedy, for his part, says he "will find a diplomatic solution that brings peace to Ukraine and brings our resources back where they belong. We will offer to withdraw our troops and nuclear-capable missiles from Russia's borders."
Trump's position on Ukraine is complicated. Zelenskyy recently said the former president turned down his invitation to visit Ukraine, citing an unspecified "conflict of interest" with the Biden administration.
Biden has repeatedly said he will support Ukraine "as long as it takes" and is asking Congress to push through $61 billion in supplemental funding for Ukraine.
Tek told VOA that support for Ukraine is "something that we've made a commitment to, and that we will continue to fulfill that commitment."
Iran: 'You cannot negotiate with evil'
Both Scott and Haley swung hard at Tehran, accusing it of supporting malign groups — something the Biden administration also often says, though administration officials have been careful to say they have yet to find evidence that Tehran directly supported Hamas' October 7 attack.
"There would be no Hamas without Iran," Haley said.
"My foreign policy is simple," Scott said. "You cannot negotiate with evil, you have to destroy it."
Haley, who had sparred with Scott over other issues in this debate and the two previous ones, most closely aligned with that view, saying: "You punch them once and you punch them hard, and they will back off."
DeSantis' language was more vague, but he criticized Biden's decision to pursue the now-moribund deal aimed at preventing Iran from having nuclear weapons — a deal that would have seen Washington strike compromises with Tehran.
Responding to the Republican debate, Kennedy said on the X platform Wednesday night: "These guys seem to be in full agreement that we should escalate this war and bomb Iran. Seriously? Is that what we want? Am I missing something? Enough of these warmongers. Let's bring that money back home."
In an editorial he wrote earlier this month, Trump accused Biden of being too soft on Iran.
New 'Axis of Evil'?
So is China in the Axis of Evil now? Haley and Christie appeared to think so, echoing a pronouncement earlier this month from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell that lumped it in the infamous grouping that includes Iran and Russia.
Haley said her administration would "end all formal trade relations with China until they stop murdering Americans from fentanyl." She also endorsed unambiguous support for arming and training Taiwan's forces against a Chinese invasion.
Ramaswamy described China as "our top enemy" — but noted an inconvenient fact.
"Here's why we can't get tough with China," he said. "It's because we depend on them for our modern way of life. And we have to declare economic independence from our enemy."
Trump holds more than 100 trademarks in China, according to ethics paperwork he recently filed, though while president he imposed tariffs on China that the Biden administration has yet to change.
Talk of, of all things, Tik Tok led to perhaps the weirdest, least diplomatic moment of the night. Christie and DeSantis slammed the platform and called for it to be banned or sold.
Haley agreed, which provoked a broadside from Ramaswamy, who uses the platform to campaign.
He pointed out that Haley's 25-year-old daughter uses the popular platform, prompting her to reply, "You're just scum."
Biden's position on China is neatly described by his famous phrase "competition, not conflict" and circumscribed by careful, measured language. But the relationship has grown frosty this year, with a number of crucial issues at stake, including semiconductor production, military-to-military communication, the status of Taiwan, China's increased military and economic ambitions, and more.
Biden and President Xi Jinping are both expected in San Francisco next week for a summit of Asian economies. VOA asked the White House this week if it could confirm that Biden has firmed up his heavily hinted-at plans to meet with Xi — and if so, what the two leaders plan to discuss.
"No," said John Kirby, director of strategic communications for the National Security Council. "And no."
