DLNews Politics:

Wow, this debate was a hot one!

The Republican presidential candidates fought live for the third time last night in front of an audience of millions—the venue this time: The Adrienne Arsht Center in America's new boom metropolis, Miami.

The Republican presidential candidates performed in front of an audience of millions.

The big favorite Donald Trump (77, more than 40 percent ahead in the polls) skipped again and preferred to hold an event in Hialeah, just 15 kilometers away, but even so, it was loud and dirty.

The favorite Donald Trump was only around 15 miles away at an event.

Unlike the first debates, this time, there were only five candidates on stage:

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (45), America's ex-UN ambassador Nikki Haley (51), New Jersey's ex-governor Chris Christie (61), biotech mogul Vivek Ramaswamy (38) and the African-American Senator from South Carolina Tim Scott (58).

Trump's Vice President Mike Pence (64) voluntarily dropped out of the race last week.

The first question from cult presenter Lester Holt (64) went straight to the point: Why are you the better choice for the White House than Donald Trump? The best answers:

Trump is no longer the same man he was in 2016,” said his political protégé DeSantis. In addition, he did not keep his promises as president. The border wall was not built, and Mexico did not pay for it.

Nikki Haley, who was appointed UN ambassador by Trump, said: “Trump was the right man back then. But he has become weak.” And she accused him: He has incurred eight trillion dollars in debt at the expense of our children.

Chris Christie probably had the best arguments: “Our greatest ally, Israel, is under attack. We have Ukraine and a KGB dictator, Vladimir Putin,” he said. Then he stated: “Trump will have no time for the problems of Americans and the world next year because he is busy with the courts. America needs a president who will make the world safer.”

Then, the dominant topic of the evening was Israel. What would the candidates now advise Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (74)?

“Destroy Hamas. Forever. “I’m tired of hearing people criticize Israel,” DeSantis said. Tim Scott said: “Hamas needs to be wiped out. But the head of the snake is Iran. We have to hit Iran.” Christ Christie agreed: “We have to isolate Iran.”

Nikki Haley: “Without Iran, there would be no Hamas. Without Iran, Hezbollah would not exist,” she said, promising to destroy Iran’s infrastructure as president. She also had these messages: “Israel does not need America. America needs Israel. Because Israel is the tip of the spear in the fight against terror.”

This is where the first scandal of the evening occurred. Vivek Ramaswamy accused Haley of warmongering and compared her to George W. Bush's vice president: "Dick Cheney in three-inch heels." Ouch. Haley's counterattack took only a short time to arrive. “The heels are 18 centimeters high. And they’re there for ammunition,” she said.

Her heels are for ammunition, said Nikki Haley.

When it came to China, the two quarreled again. Haley announced that she would ban TikTok because it threatened national security. Ramaswamy responded: “Your daughter has been using TikTok for a long time.”

Haley hissed, “Take my daughter out of your mouth.” Then she spat, “You are scum!” She later followed up: When Ramaswamy justified Russia's attack on Ukraine, she said: "Russia and China would drool if someone like that became president."

Nikki Haley (left) and Vivek Ramaswamy got into fights more often, with Ron DeSantis in between

The next question was about anti-Semitism in the USA and especially at American elite universities. Here, too, there was agreement: International students who threaten Jews or use anti-Semitic slogans should be expelled—end of the announcement.

The domestic political issue of the evening was abortion. Here, the only woman on stage stood out from the men. Nikki Haley refused to judge women who chose to have an abortion.

Meanwhile, Chris Christie considered a moderate Republican, advised his party: “We should be pro-life when it comes to children and drug addiction…” For everyone else, it was clear: abortion must be banned.

The winners of the debate were again Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis (second and third from left)

Conclusion: The debate was combative. The winners were again Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis. But Chris Christie also showed that he can debate. The entrepreneur Ramaswamy once again came across as a weirdo, while Tim Scott played the Christian preacher.

But in the end, it remained: They all only have a chance if a court stops Trump. The ex-president also told his supporters about the debate: “Nobody talks about that. I'm speaking live here in front of 10,000 people. This is much more difficult.”

His decision not to face his opponents in front of the camera continues to work. He remains his party's overwhelming favorite. So far, the debates have been, at best, a competition for the position of a vice presidential candidate.