by James Oliphant and Joseph Ax
MIAMI (Reuters) – Donald Trump’s rivals for the Republican nomination in the US presidential election debated without him on Wednesday evening in Florida, seeking to reduce the former US president’s lead in the polls.
Donald Trump, for his part, organized a rally in the suburbs of Miami, not far from where the debate bringing together the other Republican candidates in the party’s primary was held.
Criticism of the former US president arose during the debate, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis blaming him for the poor results obtained the day before by the Republicans during elections in several states.
The Democrats won several electoral victories on Tuesday in Ohio, Virginia and Kentucky.
“(Donald Trump) said Republicans would get tired of winning,” Ron DeSantis said. “Well, we saw it last night. I’m tired of seeing Republicans lose!”
Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, neck and neck with Ron DeSantis in the polls, was less virulent.
“Everyone wants to talk about President Trump. I can tell you I think he was the right president at the right time,” she said. “I don’t think he’s the right president now.”
The candidates, however, avoided further attacking Donald Trump, who enjoys unwavering support within his electorate despite his legal setbacks, preferring to focus on Democratic President Joe Biden.
Republicans criticized the current President of the United States during a long segment devoted to foreign policy and the conflict between Israel and Hamas, displaying their unconditional support for Israel.
They also attacked Joe Biden over his economic policy, saying his focus on climate change had slowed growth.
(Reporting by James Oliphant, Joseph Ax and Tim Reid, with contributions from Eric Beech, Nathan Layne, Gram Slattery, Jasper Ward and Caitlin Webber; French version Camille Raynaud)
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