2024 Republican debate: absent Trump leads the way | Cyprus Mail

Republican presidential debate turns bizarre as candidates squabble over curtains and make strange comments about sleeping with teachers.

During the second 2024 presidential primary debate for the Republican party, two White House hopefuls engaged in a heated exchange over curtains, while another candidate made a surprising revelation about his personal life. The seven Republicans on stage aimed to present themselves as viable alternatives to frontrunner Donald Trump, who chose not to participate in the televised event. However, the debate quickly descended into petty arguments and peculiar remarks.

One of the contentious moments occurred when U.S. Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina criticized former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley for the purchase of $50,000 curtains at the U.S. ambassador's residence in New York. Haley, who served as the U.N. ambassador in Trump's administration, defended herself by stating that the curtains were bought during the previous Obama administration and urged Scott to do his research. Scott persistently asked if she had returned the curtains, leading to a chaotic exchange as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis joined in.

According to a 2018 article in The New York Times, $52,701 was spent on "customized and mechanized curtains" for the residence. The decision to purchase the curtains was made in 2016, prior to Trump assuming office.

In another unexpected moment, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie used a question about education to make a remark about Democratic President Joe Biden's wife, Jill Biden, who is a teacher. Christie insinuated that Biden was "sleeping with a member of the teachers' union." Expanding on this comment, Trump's former vice president, Mike Pence, humorously admitted that he had also been "sleeping with a teacher" for 38 years, referring to his own wife, Karen Pence.

Supporters of Trump seized on the lackluster nature of the debate as evidence of his superiority. Pro-Trump consultant Alex Bruesewitz shared on the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter), "Trump's primary non-challengers are spending their night debating about curtains. Trump 2024."

The debate concluded with a proposal from one of the moderators for the candidates to write down the name of a candidate they believed should be "voted off the island," akin to the reality TV show "Survivor." However, the suggestion was swiftly rejected by the candidates, particularly DeSantis, who deemed it disrespectful. The only candidate who responded to the proposal was Christie, who stated that he would vote off Trump, asserting that he needed to be removed from the process.

Overall, the debate showcased the candidates' inability to engage in substantive discussions and instead focused on trivial matters. This left many questioning their ability to present a compelling alternative to Trump in the race for the Republican nomination.