Former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, both of Indian descent, had one of the most heated arguments during the first Republican debate. On Wednesday night (August 23), the two sparred on the debate stage in Milwaukee on Ukraine financing, with Haley criticizing Ramaswamy for lacking foreign policy experience and backing a ‘dictator’ like Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Nearly an hour into the discussion, Fox News moderators asked the eight candidates about the Ukraine crisis and whether they would continue to support/fund Kyiv in its struggle against Moscow.
While the majority pledged to continue supporting Ukraine, Ramaswamy adopted a decidedly opposing stance.
He called backing Ukraine disastrous,” while the US failed to address its own problems. As a result, Haley accused him of siding with America’s adversaries while abandoning its friends.
Consider what Putin did: Haley
“He wants to hand Ukraine to Russia, he wants to let China eat Taiwan, he wants to go and stop funding Israel,” said Haley, adding: You don’t do that to friends. What you do instead is have the backs of your friends.”
Notably, Ramaswamy stated in a recent interview on Russell Brand’s Rumble show that he would stop funding Israel when a $38 billion package expires in 2028.
Upon being cornered, Ramaswamy responded, saying, “Our relationship with Israel would never be stronger than by the end of my first term, but it’s not a client relationship, it’s a friendship, and you know what friends do? Friends help each other stand on their own two feet.”
“You know what I love about them, I love their border policies, I love their tough-on-crime policies, and I love that they have a national identity and an Iron Dome to protect their homeland, so yes, I want to learn from the friends that we’re supporting,” Ramaswamy said.
Despite Ramswamy’s arguments, Haley continued to push back “Look at what Putin did today. He killed [Wagner Group mercenary leader Yevgeny] Prigozhin. When I was at the UN, the Russian ambassador suddenly died. This guy is a murderer, and you are choosing a murderer.”
“You have no experience in foreign policy, and it shows,” she added.
To which Ramaswamy replied, referring to top US defense contractors: “I wish you well in your future career on the boards of Lockheed [Martin] and Raytheon.”
In his last remarks on the subject, Ramaswamy accused all of the Republican leaders on stage of embracing a posture similar to that of President Joe Biden.
“I reject the consensus that ‘winning’ in Ukraine is a vital US interest. Nearly the entire GOP (Republican) field rails against (Joe) Biden, but cut through the grandstanding & it turns out they’re solid with him on the most important foreign policy issue of our time. America First 2.0.”