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No-show Trump wins first GOP debate
Jon Lieber, head of Eurasia Group's coverage of political and policy developments in Washington, DC shares his perspective on US politics.
Who were the big winners and the big losers from this week's Republican debate?
Three clear winners were probably Vivek Ramaswamy, who's done pretty well in making a name for himself as a first time politician, and came across as likable and energetic, full of some fresh ideas that are probably going to appeal to a lot of Republican voters who were otherwise thinking about supporting President Trump. Two is Nikki Haley, the former UN ambassador and governor of South Carolina, who had herself a pretty good night scoring some points against Ramaswamy on foreign policy, and coming across as competent and credible. And of course, the third winner is Donald Trump, who didn't show up but kind of dominated the proceedings anyway and continues to be the front-runner even after the debate.
On the loser side, you had a couple of people who just didn't have great nights. Chris Christie got resoundingly booed for his strategy of attacking Trump and presenting himself as the alternative, or trying to create space for somebody else to get in that lane. Mike Pence really did nothing to distinguish himself. In fact, I kind of forgot he was up there at times, as I've forgotten that he's even running for president right now. Same with Tim Scott, who I think has a very great story and is a very likable guy, but just isn't resonating with a lot of Republicans.
And the biggest loser was probably Ron DeSantis, who's presented himself as the most credible alternative to Trump so far but has really been tailing off in the polling, has shown himself to be vulnerable to people like Ramaswamy, and last night didn't really do much to change that narrative. He kind of has his line of attack against the cultural left, which resonates with a lot of Republican voters. But there's no real reason to prefer him over President Trump at this point, and there probably aren't enough Republican voters who will do so, that will help propel him to the next level.
There won't be any votes cast in this election until Iowa, which is next year. And in the meantime, there's going to be another debate, probably also without Trump, in California, in late September. So, stay tuned for an entertaining Republican primary, but one that kind of feels like they're play-acting a little bit without the dominant force, former President Trump, up on stage.
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.
Christie takes aim at Trump
No one can win the 2024 Republican Party nomination for president without winning over millions of voters who like Donald Trump. For now, the polls say those voters are happy with Trump. This creates a dilemma for his rivals. All of them need someone to dent Trump’s popularity via direct attacks on the man and his candidacy. But no one wants to infuriate Trump supporters by leading those attacks, allowing other candidates to benefit. They all want someone else to lead the charge.
Cue Chris Christie, the former Trump rival-turned-ally-turned-caustic critic who will enter the race for the GOP nomination on Tuesday (former VP Mike Pence is set to launch his bid on Wednesday). The former New Jersey governor is currently polling at less than 1%, and he’s highly unlikely to win anything. But Christie has already gone where candidates like Ron DeSantis, Mike Pence, Nicki Haley, and others fear to tread by publicly referring to Trump as a coward, a loser, and a “puppet of Putin.” (He once blamed Trump for giving him COVID.)
It’s hard to say whether a Christie kamikaze candidacy might bring Trump’s high poll numbers back to Earth, but one thing is clear: Beginning Tuesday, the fight for the Republican presidential nomination is about to get louder.
Chris Christie interview: The truth about the 2024 GOP primary race
Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie is playing coy on whether he'll throw his hat in the ring for the Republican presidential nomination for 2024, indicating he might simply influence the conversation from afar. In a wide-ranging interview with Ian Bremmer, Christie outlines the stark reality he sees about the GOP primary as things begin to heat up on the campaign trail. "I think there's one lane for the nomination, and right now, Donald Trump's in the front of that lane," Christie tells Bremmer. "And if you want to get in the front of that lane, you better intervene and go right through him because otherwise trying to go around him, I don't think it's a strategy."
Note: This interview was first featured in the GZERO World episode "Republican identity crisis: Chris Christie vs. Donald Trump," published on May 15, 2023.
On the debt celing, he's confident that Republicans and Democrats will avert disaster; on Ron DeSantis, he thinks the Florida Governor has made his Disney-doomed bed and has to sleep in it. He also shares his views on culture war issues, foreign policy, and Russia/Ukraine, where the former Governor's insistence on continued support for Ukraine is decidedly clearer than Trump's.
Will the US default on its debt? Ask GZERO World's guests
It's the question swirling around Washington this week (and last week, and the week before, etc, etc). It's of concern to US allies and of great interest to US adversaries: Will the United States government default on its debt for the first time in history? Depending on the day of the week, or the hour of the day, you may get a different answer from politicians and pundits alike.
On GZERO World with Ian Bremmer, though, guests from the past few months, including Utah Senator Mitt Romney, World Bank Group President David Malpass, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, and US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, have struck a common chord: it won't happen, but if it does, we're in for a hurting. Catch GZERO World with Ian Bremmer on public television stations nationwide. Check local listings.
- US debt default would be "destabilizing," says World Bank's David Malpass ›
- Sen. Mitt Romney on DC dysfunction, Russian attacks, and banning TikTok ›
- Pete Buttigieg explains: How the debt limit impacts transportation ›
- Chris Christie weighs in on US debt limit fight ›
- US debt limit: default unlikely, dysfunction probable ›
Why Chris Christie calls DeSantis "anti-conservative"
The Republican Party is in the midst of an identity crisis. Between the far-right MAGA supporters and more traditional “Never Trump” conservatives, there doesn’t seem to be a coherent through-line for GOP priorities ahead of the 2024 race for US president.
On GZERO World, Ian Bremmer asked rumored 2024 GOP candidate and former governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie, what the Republicans’ policy priorities should be as we look ahead to the election. Along with fixing America’s immigration system and shoring up its alliances around the world, Christie argues that Republicans need to become the “fiscally responsible party” once again.
An issue that has received too much attention, Christie says, is the ongoing culture war within the GOP against things like transgender rights and library books, as exemplified by Governor Ron DeSantis’ battle with Disney World over Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law. While Christie argues some of those things should be discussed in the context of larger issues, like parental choice in education, he believes using the powers of government to police speech you disagree with is a fundamentally “anti-conservative” position.
“[DeSantis] should have just let it go. But instead he is going to continue to push it and up the ante,” Christie told Ian Bremmer, “I think it’s anti-conservative. I think it’s a mistake.”
Republican identity crisis: Chris Christie vs. Donald Trump
The only way out is through. That's how former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie views the 2024 GOP primary, and more specifically, how he views its frontrunner, former President Donald Trump.
"I think there's one lane for the nomination, and right now Donald Trump's in the front of that lane," Christie tells Ian Bremmer in a wide-ranging interview for GZERO World. "And if you want to get in the front of that lane, you better intervene and go right through him because, otherwise, trying to go around him? I don't think it's a strategy."
Bremmer invited Christie onto the show to take a big-picture look at how things are already stacking up for the upcoming primary fight, and one thing is clear: It won't be pretty. From Christie's own ... um ... complicated ... past with the man whom he was first to legitimize back in 2015, to the more pressing issues facing the country today, Bremmer and Christie cover it all. They also discuss the news of the week, with Christie expressing confidence that Republicans and Democrats won't drive off the debt-ceiling cliff with hands clasped (or slapping each other).
- Biden and Trump set for battle of the ages in 2024 election ›
- Bracing for 2024: Trump vs. DeSantis ›
- Why Trump chose CNN for his Town Hall ›
- Christie: US should keep leading Ukraine aid ›
- Chris Christie weighs in on US debt limit fight ›
- Chris Christie interview: The truth about the 2024 GOP primary race - GZERO Media ›
- Are identity politics a trap? A conversation with author and political scientist Yascha Mounk - GZERO Media ›
Podcast: Conservatives no more? Why Chris Christie is criticizing Trump and DeSantis
Listen:The upcoming GOP presidential primary will be many things – expensive, long, chaotic – but one thing we know for sure is that it won't be pretty. And one potential Trump rival, former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, is ready to embrace the ugly. In a wide-ranging interview with Ian Bremmer on the GZERO World podcast, Christie outlines the stark reality he sees as things begin to heat up on the campaign trail. "I think there's one lane for the nomination, and right now, Donald Trump's in the front of that lane," Christie tells Bremmer. "And if you want to get in the front of that lane, you better intervene and go right through him because otherwise, trying to go around him, I don't think it's a strategy."
While Christie is still playing coy on whether he'll throw his hat in the ring or simply influence the conversation from afar, he spoke with clarity and confidence on a wide variety of issues. On the debt ceiling, he's confident that Republicans and Democrats will avert disaster; on DeSantis, he thinks the Florida governor has made his Disney-doomed bed and has to sleep in it. On the culture war issues...well, you'll just have to listen to the show. They also talk foreign policy and specifically Russia/Ukraine, where the former Governor's insistence on continued support for Ukraine is decidedly starker than what President Trump said on CNN last week.
- Podcast: Can the US get its act together? Susan Glasser & Peter Baker on "the world’s greatest geopolitical crisis" ›
- Podcast: Mitt Romney on uncharted US waters, Russian malevolence, & China’s economic ambition ›
- NatCon 2022: Conservatives rethink foundations of the American right ›
- Will Trump’s 2024 candidacy sink Republicans? ›
- Podcast: Trumped up charges? The law & politics of investigating a president's crimes ›
- Chris Christie interview: The truth about the 2024 GOP primary race - GZERO Media ›
Christie: US should keep leading Ukraine aid
Should the United States be doing more or less in its support for Ukraine? It depends on who you ask.
There is a growing rift within the Republican Party over how much the United States should be assisting Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invasion. At town hall discussion on CNN May 10, former president Donald Trump refused to commit to sending more aid to the country if he wins the White House, reflecting the growing anti-war sentiment from the MAGA wing of the party.
Former NJ governor and rumored GOP candidate, Chris Christie, strongly disagrees. Christie says the US should have done more from the beginning of the war, and argued on GZERO World that the America should remain a global leader in providing military equipment to Kyiv.
Not only is it good for Ukraine, he says, but it’s also an important part of the US’s efforts to counter China’s growing influence.
“In the end, we are in a proxy war right now with China, whether we like it or not, and their support of Russia in Ukraine is proof of that” Christie tells Ian Bremmer. “We have to make sure we send a very clear message, not only to the Chinese, but to our own allies that America’s not going to be a cut and run country.”
Watch this episode of GZERO World with Ian Bremmer on US public television, airing nationwide. Check local listings.
- Why Trump chose CNN for his Town Hall ›
- Chris Christie weighs in on US debt limit fight ›
- Europe plans for Putin & Trump 2.0 ›
- The war in Ukraine is nowhere near over ›
- Is US support for Ukraine waning? ›
- Time favors ... Ukraine or Russia? ›
- Republican identity crisis: Chris Christie vs. Donald Trump - GZERO Media ›
- Chris Christie interview: The truth about the 2024 GOP primary race - GZERO Media ›