From our correspondent in the United States,
A statue of a smiling Ronald Reagan welcomes visitors. For the fourth time in five presidential elections, the Reagan Library, perched on a hill in Simi Valley, 45 minutes west of Los Angeles, hosted a Republican primary debate on Wednesday evening. Like that of Milwaukee at the end of August, it took place without Donald Trump. Counting between 40 and 50 points ahead of his opponents in the polls, he preferred to go see striking auto workers near Detroit, his eyes already fixed on a revenge against Joe Biden. Which did not prevent him from taking blows, with scuds drawn from all sides, notably by Ron DeSantis and Chris Christie.
On site, the overflowing parking lot of the neighboring country club sets the tone: even without Donald Trump, a presidential debate remains an unmissable event for the American media, with around 750 accredited journalists. As a result, no journalist is allowed to enter the “Air Force One” hangar, where the Boeing on which six American presidents traveled, from Richard Nixon to George W. Bush, is on display, and where the scene was installed.
We barely have time to take a photo when a mustachioed guard escorts us towards the exit. The media are crowded into a nearby air-conditioned tent and follow the discussions on a giant screen, like at the Emmy Awards.
Donald Trump “missing in action”
For a curator, visiting the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library is an essential pilgrimage. This is where the slayer of the interventionist state and communism is buried, as a section of the Berlin Wall on display on the terrace reminds us – in 1987, Reagan had launched, from the Brandenburg Gate, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” » (Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall). But the Grand Old Party (GOP) is no longer the party of Reagan but that of Donald Trump, who therefore crushes the competition in this primary with more than 56% of voting intentions, according to the average of the polls.
For his adversaries, the mission is almost impossible: they must succeed in attacking the former president without alienating his base. Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who advised Donald Trump in 2016, attempts a first salvo on inflation: “The administration of Donald Trump added 7,000 billion dollars to the debt, and that of Joe Biden 5,000 billion. Donald Trump hides behind the walls of his golf clubs and does not come to answer the questions of people who are suffering. » Ron DeSantis, who continues to fall in the polls, from 30% in the spring to 15% today, continues: “Donald Trump is missing in action ” (” missing in action “). The 700 spectators in the Air Force One pavilion – mainly Republican donors and friends of the Reagan Foundation, with between 10 and 20 guests per candidate – applauded.
Sacred union against Vivek Ramaswamy
Before pretending to worry Donald Trump, the candidates must already emerge from this battle royale. And more than Ron DeSantis, it is the entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, surprising 3rd in the polls until recently, who seems to be unanimously against him. More awakened than in the previous debate, Tim Scott, the only African-American Republican senator, begins by attacking Ramaswamy’s past activities in China. Then it’s Nikki Haley, boosted by her latest performance, who clashes with him during a game on TikTok, which Vivek Ramaswamy recently joined to go “find young voters where they are”. “I’m angry because TikTok is one of the most dangerous apps there is,” begins the former governor of South Carolina. “Honestly, every time I listen to you (Vivek), I feel a little dumber.”
Chris Christie returns to attack Trump. The ex-prosecutor fixes the camera to look the former president straight in the eyes:
“Donald, I know you’re watching, you can’t help it. You’re not here tonight. Not because of the polls or your indictments. You are not there because you are afraid to be on stage and defend your record. You dodge (“ducking”, in VO). And if you continue, we will no longer call you Donald Trump but Donald… Duck.”
That’s the risk with a punchline: that it falls completely flat. “It’s very difficult because you have to rehearse them but get them out at the right time and make them seem spontaneous,” says Aaron Kall, director of debate at the University of Michigan, who has won three national university titles. consecutive between 2020 and 2022.
For this expert, “Ron DeSantis was the best (Wednesday) night. He was spared and was able to highlight his electoral successes in Florida. But even though he attacked Trump at the beginning, and at the end on abortion, it was far from enough to change the situation. » Kall concludes: “As long as no candidate stands out, Donald Trump has no interest in taking the risk of debating. »