Indian-American Republican presidential candidates Vivek Ramaswamy and Nikki Haley indulged in an ugly war of words during the third GOP presidential debate, with Ramaswamy referring to Haley and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as “Dick Cheney in three-inch heels”.

The Republican contenders were speaking on the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, when Ramaswamy took a major swipe at Haley by comparing her foreign policy views to those of former Republican Vice President Dick Cheney, as per reports.

“Do you want a leader from a different generation who’s going to put this country first, or do you want Dick Cheney in three-inch heels? We’ve got two of them onstage tonight,” Ramaswamy said as the debate became more and more tense, in an apparent reference to cowboy boots recently worn by DeSantis.

Haley shot back by saying, “I’d first like to say, they’re five-inch heels — and I don’t wear them unless you can run in them. The second thing I will say: I wear heels, they’re not for a fashion statement, they’re for ammunition.”

‘You’re just scum’: Haley to Ramaswamy

Ramaswamy kept his focus on Haley during the course of the debate, and an intense moment came when he attacked her daughter for using TikTok, despite Republican criticism of the Chinese-operated platform. “She made fun of me for actually joining TikTok while her own daughter was actually using the app for a long time. So you might want to take care of your family first,” he said. 

In response, a clearly angry Haley said, “Leave my daughter out of your voice. You have her supporters propping her up, that’s fine. You’re just scum.”

Ramaswamy and Haley have clashed repeatedly throughout the three debates this campaign cycle. This, however, was the first time Ramaswamy targeted a member of Haley’s family, an act that drew clear condemnation from the crowd, according to the Washington Post.

During a September debate, Haley criticised Ramaswamy’s TikTok posts, as part of his presidential campaign, as “infuriating,” highlighting divisions within the GOP over the controversial social media app.

“Look, I’m a mom. I’m a mom, so the second that you go, and you start saying something about my 25-year-old daughter, I’m going to get my back up. But this is — it’s not even about the personal part,” Haley said during a post-debate interview with NBC News.

Stance on foreign policy

Meanwhile, Haley also sparred with DeSantis, saying that she would “end all normal trade relations with China until they stop murdering Americans from fentanyl — something Ron has yet to say that he’s going to do.”

The Florida governor clapped back that Haley as South Carolina’s governor had “welcomed” the Chinese into South Carolina, referencing land and economic development deals during her six-year tenure.

As former President Donald Trump chose to remain absent for yet another time, the Republican Party’s internal division over Russia’s war in Ukraine was also on display at the debate. While Haley and Tim Scott remained in favour of supporting Ukraine, Ramaswamy outrightly suggested that areas of Ukraine occupied by Russia should remain in Moscow’s hands. He said this is not “some kind of battle between good versus evil.”

DeSantis also expressed skepticism about some of the funding that the US has sent Ukraine. He added that “we need to bring this war to an end” to focus on border security instead.

They also competed with one another to show the most support for Israel, and spoke on the harshest actions against Iran. All five candidates at the debate fully supported Israel’s military campaign against Hamas and would not do anything to stop the relentless bombardment of Gaza, which has led to a worsening humanitarian crisis for Palestinian civilians.

“Support Israel with whatever they need, whenever they need it. … The last thing we need to do is tell Israel what to do,” said Haley while Ramaswamy said that he would tell Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that his country has the right to protect itself.

(with inputs from agencies)

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