While five Republican candidates sparred with each other at the third Republican presidential debate in Miami, former President Donald Trump was absent yet again, instead holding a campaign rally nearby.
Rather than exchanging jabs with a group of candidates who trail far behind him in the polls, Trump staged his own event in Hialeah, Florida, which is about 15 miles from the debate site. It's there where the GOP front-runner brushed off his opponents as nothing more than an afterthought.
"And you have about, what, seven or eight candidates left," he said to the crowd. "I think they're at a debate tonight nobody's talking about."
Presidential candidates trade jabs during 3rd Republican debate
The third Republican presidential debate went on Wednesday night in Florida. Candidates discussed foreign relations, social security and immigration.
While we may be about a year out from the 2024 presidential election, we're already getting some strong insight into how voters lean. With just 10 weeks left until the Iowa caucuses, a CBS News poll shows Trump has garnered 60% support among Republican primary voters. And another recent poll has Trump leading current President Joe Biden by 4 or more points in the key swing states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania.
Despite his four criminal indictments and President Biden leading in the fundraising front, voters have credited Trump's policies — specifically on the economy — as having a much more positive impact on their lives. It comes at a time when things like inflation, debt, and gas and home prices are crippling American households.
