Donald Trump Hints At Presidential ‘Retribution’ As His Fading Rivals Squabble At Debate

LOADING ERROR LOADING As his two main rivals squabbled in a heated debate on CNN , the front runner in the 2024 race for the Republican presidential nomination, Donald Trump , spent an hour mocking them and suggesting he might bring the force of the presidency down upon his perceived enemies if he recaptures the White House.

It was an apt television split screen example of the primary campaign that wasn’t, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley spending their time attacking each other in a one on one Republican presidential debate while Trump coasts unharmed to a likely victory in the Iowa caucuses on Monday.

Advertisement During his town hall, Trump gloated about overturning Roe v. Wade, vowed to carry out mass deportation of undocumented immigrants, didn’t deny that his businesses took in millions from other governments during his presidency and suggested that it would be “not so bad” for him to focus on retribution during a second term.

“I’m not going to have time for retribution. We’re going to make this country so successful again I’m not going to have time for retribution,” said Trump, who has vowed to direct the Department of Justice to go after his political opponents. Trump also poked fun at former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who dropped out of the race earlier on Wednesday.

Trump said Christie’s exit was overshadowed by an apparent hot mic moment when Christie was caught criticizing Haley at a campaign event in New Hampshire. “The biggest story wasn’t the fact that he dropped out. Nobody cared too much about that,” Trump said mockingly. Advertisement Meanwhile, on CNN, both Haley and DeSantis said it was time for the GOP to move on from Trump.

But they declined to outright attack him as unsuited for a return to the presidency. “I have said I think he was the right president at the time,” Haley said. “For me, it’s very much about no drama, no whining and getting results. I don’t think that President Trump is the right president to go forward.

I think it’s time for a new generation of leader.” She added: “I wish Donald Trump was up on this stage. He’s the one I’m running against.” Still, the two GOP rivals spent far more time going at each other than they did in addressing Trump. DeSantis accused Haley, who has gained momentum in polls of early primary states, of being beholden to big donors and of being inspired by Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state and Trump’s Democratic rival in 2016.

Haley accused DeSantis of banning fracking and offshore drilling in Florida. “You’re so desperate. You’re just so desperate,” Haley told DeSantis during one exchange over Social Security, adding that he was distorting her record. DeSantis shot back by saying Haley has a problem with “ballistic podiatry — shooting herself in the foot every other day.” Advertisement Trump, the polling leader in the 2024 race, is skipping the GOP primary debates and didn’t appear at Wednesday’s match up two miles away from his town hall.

Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson failed to qualify for the debate. Support HuffPost The Stakes Have Never Been Higher At HuffPost, we believe that everyone needs high quality journalism, but we understand that not everyone can afford to pay for expensive news subscriptions.

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