Vivek Ramaswamy slammed Nikki Haley and Mike Pence for supporting Ukraine in the war and stated that Russia being bad doesn’t necessarily mean that Ukraine should be seen in positive light. He concluded that the US shouldn’t be involved in the war.

Up to seven Republican Party leaders are participating in the GOP’s second debate to select the nominee for the 2024 US presidential election. The two-hour debate began at 9 pm EST on Wednesday (6:30 am IST on Thursday) at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.

The Republican National Committee (RNC) is conducting these debates, with the party set to announce its presidential and vice-presidential candidates at the national convention next July. The 2024 US presidential election is scheduled for November 5.

During the debate, candidates discussed the issue of immigration, largely aligning their policy positions with each other and former President Trump, who had made it a central focus during his presidency.

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Former Vice President Mike Pence, when asked about protecting immigrants who arrived in the US as children, talked about a Trump-era policy that required asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico for US court hearings and emphasized a crackdown on asylum. Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy discussed repealing birthright citizenship, a position Trump had considered.

It’s worth noting that candidates framed the influx of asylum-seekers as a recent issue under President Biden, although it began years earlier. By 2017, the United States had become the world’s primary destination for asylum-seekers, a position it has held since, according to the UN refugee agency.

Surprisingly, despite being more than halfway through the debate, there has been no mention of a significant political issue: funding for Ukraine in response to the Russian invasion, which could lead to a government shutdown soon if not resolved.

Ramaswamy, the only GOP presidential candidate on TikTok, raised concerns about teens’ use of “addictive social media” during a question about security. He mentioned that young people are turning to platforms like Snapchat to access pharmaceuticals and expressed his belief that individuals under 16 should not use addictive social media.

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Ramaswamy, at 38, is the youngest candidate on the stage and had previously referred to TikTok as “digital fentanyl.” However, he recently joined the platform, aiming to appeal to younger voters through his campaign’s presence there.