The latest news and updates on the debate:
- Five Republican presidential candidates faced off tonight in Miami in a debate hosted by NBC News and sanctioned by the Republican National Committee.
- The debate was moderated by “NBC Nightly News” anchor Lester Holt, “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker and Hugh Hewitt, host of “The Hugh Hewitt Show” on Salem Radio Network.
- The biggest clashes were between former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, who split over foreign policy. Haley called Ramaswamy "scum" and he mocked her shoes.
- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis came out swinging quickly, trying to criticize both former President Donald Trump, who is the GOP front-runner in the polls and didn't attend the debate, and the rest of the field.
- The candidates sparred over abortion, trading barbs over how Republicans should be talking about the issue in the wake of Tuesday's election defeats pegged to the issue.
- There was a heated exchange over China and the use of TikTok, during which Ramaswamy criticized Haley's adult daughter for using the app.
- The two other debate participants were former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, who struggled to have a moment.
Fact-check: Did the Sierra Club praise Ron DeSantis?
“It cracks me up that Ron continues to do this. He has opposed fracking. He’s opposed drilling,” Haley said today. “He was praised by the Sierra Club, and you’re trying to make up for it and act like you weren’t a liberal when it comes to the environment.”
This is mostly true. DeSantis's record as governor is more progressive than the records of the other candidates running for office. He has embraced protecting the Everglades and opposed fracking and drilling in Florida. In 2019, the Sierra Club they said it was “pleased” with one of his budgets. In more recent years, however, it has condemned his administration.
Scott confirms girlfriend was in the audience
Scott said his girlfriend was at the debate, saying they’ve been dating for several months and that she was at his campaign launch event.
NBC News: "Any special guests with you today?"
Scott: "All my guests are special."
NBC News: "You were seen on the stage after the debate taking a photo. Any insight on who that was?"
Scott: "Oh, my girlfriend."
His campaign said her first name is Mindy.
Biden campaign ties candidates to Trump
Biden’s campaign manager laid into the GOP candidates in a statement after the debate ended, tying the Republican candidates to Trump.
"Normally, after you lose, you take a moment to reflect and course correct," Julie Chavez Rodriguez said in a statement. "But in Donald Trump’s MAGA Republican Party, apparently you double down on the same extreme agenda that was soundly rejected last night in elections across the country."
She said that in 2024, voters will choose between Biden and “MAGA Republicans, whose policy platform is to make things worse for you by taking away your freedoms.”
Trump isn't planning to attend 4th debate
Trump will not attend the fourth debate in December in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Trump senior adviser Chris LaCivita said. LaCivita added the caveat that he has used for previous debates: “Until he is.”
Notably, the RNC is not holding the Ramaswamy sign in the spin room. It’s his body man, Patrick. Ramaswamy went after the RNC and its chairwoman hard tonight.
DeSantis, on NBC News Now, says his view of the GOP primary electorate is: 25% are all in for Trump, 25% have moved on and want an alternative, and 50% are open. He indicated his focus is on the 50%.
Grappling with Trump and abortion losses: Six key takeaways from the Republican debate
On his home turf at the Republican presidential debate in Miami, DeSantis sharpened his case against Trump and tussled with Haley as she looked to build on her momentum.
Five candidates met on stage Wednesday night, just over two months before voting begins: DeSantis, Haley, Scott, Ramaswamy and Christie.
Absent for the third time was Trump, the former president who is dominating the GOP polls so far — and continued his debate counterprogramming tradition with a rally in nearby Hialeah.
While DeSantis and Haley are competing for second place and a shot at being the main GOP alternative to Trump, the other three are fighting to keep their candidacies alive.
Fact check: Are wages flat and prices rising?
“Prices are going up,” Ramaswamy said. “But wages have remained flat.”
This is half true. Americans made average hourly earnings of $34 per hour in October, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s up 4.1% from $32.66 the year prior and up 19% from $28.55 in February 2020, just before the pandemic swept the U.S.
BLS data shows that consumer prices overall are indeed rising, though at a sharply slower pace than a year ago. They are up 3.7% over the last year, and up 19% since February 2020. But many price categories have fallen from earlier peaks. For example, the average price of a gallon of milk rose from $3.19 in November 2019 to $4.20 in May 2022, but settled back at $3.97 this fall.
Fact check: Is Canada a major source of fentanyl?
Ramaswamy said tonight that he would focus on both the southern and northern border in effort to combat the fentanyl crisis in America.
“There was enough fentanyl that was captured just on the northern border last year to kill 3 million Americans. So we got to just skate to where the puck is going, not just where the puck is. Don’t just build the wall, build both walls.”
This is largely false. The DEA reported 14 pounds of fentanyl seized on the Canadian border in 2022, out of 14,700 pounds seized throughout the U.S. The 3 million number is likely based on the DEA’s estimate that one kilogram of fentanyl could kill up to 500,000 people. So while it’s true that the amount of fentanyl seized from Canada could technically kill up to 3 million, the focus on Canada seems unwarranted given that it represents one-thousandth of 1 percent of seizures.
It is worth noting that, with his skating metaphor, he was referring to the great Canadian hockey star Wayne Gretzky’s best-known quote.
Watch: The candidates delivered closing remarks.