A closer look at the Republican debate’s notable moments, from drapes to China

During the second Republican presidential primary debate, on Wednesday, the seven 2024 candidates onstage regularly sparred with each other over their policy and personality differences.

South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott lambasted how Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis handled a controversy over Black history education in Florida’s middle schools.

Separately, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley at one point scoffed at businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, standing two podiums away: “Honestly, every time I hear you, I feel a little bit dumber for what you say,” she said.

Here’s a closer look at some of the most notable verbal fireworks and political disputes.

Immigration, the southern border and birthright citizenship

Several Republicans emphasized they would prioritize border security, noting that action on the issue would be one of their first should they become president.

“What I’ll do on day one is sign an executive order to send the National Guard to partner with Customs and Border Patrol to make sure that we stop the flow of fentanyl over the border,” former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said, adding that he also wants legal immigrants to get open jobs.

Ramaswamy said that he’d end so-called birthright citizenship for the children of authorized immigrants.

But in calling for ending birthright citizenship under the U.S. Constitution, Ramaswamy invoked an argument about the 14th Amendment — which bestows the rights of citizenship on all who were born in the country and “subject” to its jurisdiction, including freed slaves.

Scott said that he believes, from the perspective of the Constitution, “I think it’s simple — that clearly it was designed for slavery [i.e. freed slaves] and not for illegal immigration.”

However, according to an examination by PolitiFact, experts have argued that the amendment likely was meant at the time it was ratified to apply to immigrant children even if their parents were in the country illegally. PolitiFact also found that while there is legal debate over who is included or excluded from the amendment, scholars have argued that U.S. laws such as birthright citizenship do apply to unauthorized immigrants and their kids.

DeSantis defends his abortion stance, hitting at Trump

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis revived an ongoing feud with former President Donald Trump over abortion, where he doubled down on defending his policies restricting the procedure.

In recent weeks, Trump had called six-week abortion bans, like one that DeSantis signed in Florida, “terrible.”

“The former president, you know, he’s missing in action tonight. He has had a lot to say about that. He should be here explaining his comments to try to say that pro-life protections are somehow a terrible thing,” DeSantis said on the debate stage. Trump declined to attend, suggesting he saw no value given his polling lead.

Ramaswamy faces fire on China

Republican candidates have largely been aligned in advocating for a tougher U.S. policy toward China, but the issue still sparked some disagreements onstage, particularly around Ramaswamy.

Scott accused him of being compromised by China because of his past business dealings with Chinese companies — and former Vice President Mike Pence made a quip on those deals later.

The health care company Ramaswamy founded, Roivant Sciences, partnered in 2018 with Chinese state-owned investment company CITIC Group Corp. to support a Chinese biopharmaceutical company.

Ramaswamy’s campaign told Fox News before the debate that he would not enter a similar deal anymore and that he has proposed how the U.S. could “decouple from Communist China.”

Haley also said during the debate that Ramaswamy can’t be trusted because he joined the hugely popular Chinese-owned social media app TikTok.

Ramaswamy said that he joined TikTok to help him win the election — and then to combat China — by “reaching the next generation of young Americans where they are. … We’re only going to get to declaring independence from China, which I favor, if we actually win.”

Pence’s proposals

Pence, amidst attempts at some jokes — including an unusual crack about “sleeping with” a teacher, responding to Christie’s criticism of teachers unions — spoke clearly about one policy and hedged on another.

When asked why the Trump-Pence administration did not repeal the sweeping health care changes under the Affordable Care Act, also known as “Obamacare,” as their 2016 campaign said they would, Pence instead weighed in on a previous question on gun violence.

“As a father of three, as a grandfather of three beautiful little girls, I am sick and tired of these mass shootings … we’re going to pass a federal expedited death penalty for anyone involved in a mass shooting,” Pence said.

When asked again about the ACA, Pence hedged: “Look, I think it’s one of the choices here,” he said, pivoting to speaking about shrinking the federal government.

Debate moderator Dana Perino replied, “I’m not sure we got an answer on Obamacare.”

A South Carolina faceoff

During the debate’s second hour, the two candidates from South Carolina, Haley and Scott, were often at odds — even though Haley, when she was governor of South Carolina, appointed Scott to the U.S. Senate after Jim DeMint resigned.

The two fought over the gas tax in South Carolina that Haley proposed as governor. (Haley’s economic plan as a candidate includes eliminating the federal gas tax.)

“Talk about someone who has never seen a federal dollar she doesn’t like,” Scott said.

Haley countered that she fought to reduce income taxes in the state alongside that proposal, as was reported by local outlets at the time.

Haley and Scott also argued over curtains that cost more than $50,000 in the residence of the ambassador to the U.N.

Haley was the first to live there, but the Obama administration had decided to purchase the drapes, according to officials who spoke with the New York Times.

ABC News’ Gabriella Abdul-Hakim, Libby Cathey, Abby Cruz, Hannah Demissie, Fritz Farrow, Lalee Ibssa, Nicholas Kerr, Soo Rin Kim, Will McDuffie, Kendall Ross and Kelsey Walsh, Soo Rin Kim contributed to this report.