The second GOP presidential primary debate Wednesday night was a case study in why the Republican Party shouldn’t award debate moderation privileges to hostile and dishonest members of the liberal media. While Fox Business Network occupied two of the moderator positions (Stuart Varney and Dana Perino), the third was given to Univision anchor Ilia Calderón. Her questions were by far the most anti-American and dishonest; ranging from lies about gun violence being “unique” to America to blaming America for the drug trafficking at the southern border, and more.
In a question directed to North Dakota governor Doug Burgum, Calderón peddled the liberal media’s BIG LIE about gun violence: “Mental health concerns are not unique to United States. But gun violence is.”
Back here in reality, Central American and South American countries were some of the most dangerous countries in the world. Their violence was often cited as a primary driver of illegal immigration to the U.S. According to reporting from NPR, those countries have per capita violent gun death rates many times that of the U.S. In 2019, America’s rate was 3.96 while Mexico’s was 16.41 and Calderón’s home country of Colombia had 26.36.
“Well, first, we need to understand is I think the liberal left is – seems to be just completely bent on prosecuting law-abiding citizens that are gun owners because every solution they have for this is take away the Second Amendment rights of Americans and somehow that is going to solve the problem,” Burgum shot back at her.
Her next question was to businessman Vivek Ramaswamy in which she blamed America for the Fentanyl crisis and drug trafficking at the southern border:
According to Customs and Border Protection, about 90 percent of Fentanyl is seized at official border crossings. And 57 percent of the smugglers are U.S. citizens. How would you stop Fentanyl brought into the country, mostly by U.S. citizens through ports of entry?
Sometime later, she looked to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and pushed the lie that Florida schools were teaching kids that slavery was a good thing. DeSantis called her out for perpetuating a “hoax”:
CALDERON: Florida’s new black history curriculum says, quote, “slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.” You have said slaves developed skills in spite of slavery, not because of it. But many are still hurt. For descendants of slaves, this is personal. What is your message to them?
DESANTIS: First of all, that’s a hoax that was perpetrated by Kamala Harris. We're not going to be doing that. Second of all, that was written by descendants of slaves. These are great black history scholars. So, we need to stop playing these games.
Perhaps hoping to get Pence to back hate crimes, she pressed him on if he would protect “LGBTQ+ people”:
CALDERON: Vice President Pence. The Department of Homeland Security warns that violence against LGBTQ+ people is on the rise and intensifying. According to a recent study, members of that committee or nine times more likely to be victims of violent hate crimes. As president, how would you protect this committee from violent attacks and discrimination?
PENCE: Well, as president of the United States, I’ll stand up for the safety and the civil liberties of every American, from every background.
Calderón also whined about the candidates who said they would use military assets to combat the drug cartels in Mexico, parroted criticism of them from Mexico's president, and falsely claimed Mexico was a good partner for the U.S.:
Mexico's president called who supports sending U.S. military into the country, quote, “scoundrels.” Mexico is the United States' most important trade partner in border security. You say you will send special operations to attacked the cartels Mexico. So, this means boots on the ground, drone strikes?
Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley slapped her down. “And what you need to do is understand Mexico is not being a good partner if we lost 75,000 Americans last year. Mexico is not being a good partner if they’re letting the cartels get away with what they are getting away with,” she declared.
Get ready for more terrible questions like those when NBC News hosts the third GOP debate.
The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read:
Fox Business Network Republican Primary Debate
September 27, 2023
9:42:31 p.m. Eastern(…)
ILIA CALDERON: We will stay on the topic of crime because it affects all of us. Governor Burgum, for the first time ever, a Univision poll found that mass shootings and gun safety are one of the most important issue for Latino voters. Mental health concerns are not unique to United States. But gun violence is. What is your specific plan to curb gun violence?
GOV. DOUG BURGUM (R-ND): Well, first, we need to understand is I think the liberal left is – seems to be just completely bent on prosecuting law-abiding citizens that are gun owners because every solution they have for this is take away the Second Amendment rights of Americans and somehow that is going to solve the problem. But all the cities that we are talk about they should the videos of tonight, they have some of the stricter gun laws in the country. So, we know that’s not what is working.
(…)
9:44:14 p.m. Eastern
CALDERON: According to Customs and Border Protection, about 90 percent of Fentanyl is seized at official border crossings. And 57 percent of the smugglers are U.S. citizens. How would you stop Fentanyl brought into the country, mostly by U.S. citizens through ports of entry?
(…)
10:02:55 p.m. Eastern
CALDERON: Governor DeSantis, I have a question for you.
[Crosstalk]
Florida’s new black history curriculum says, quote, “slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.” You have said slaves developed skills in spite of slavery, not because of it. But many are still hurt. For descendants of slaves, this is personal. What is your message to them?
GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): First of all, that’s a hoax that was perpetrated by Kamala Harris. We're not going to be doing that. Second of all, that was written by descendants of slaves. These are great black history scholars. So, we need to stop playing these games.
(…)
10:09:01 p.m. Eastern
CALDERON: Vice President Pence. The Department of Homeland Security warns that violence against LGBTQ+ people is on the rise and intensifying. According to a recent study, members of that committee or nine times more likely to be victims of violent hate crimes. As president, how would you protect this committee from violent attacks and discrimination?
MIKE PENCE: Well, as president of the United States, I’ll stand up for the safety and the civil liberties of every American, from every background.
(…)
10:24:32 p.m. Eastern
CALDERON: Governor Haley. Mexico's president called who supports sending U.S. military into the country, quote, “scoundrels.” Mexico is the United States' most important trade partner in border security. You say you will send special operations to attacked the cartels Mexico. So, this means boots on the ground, drone strikes?
NIKKI HALEY: It means special operations. It’s how we deal with our terrorists. And what you need to do is understand Mexico is not being a good partner if we lost 75,000 Americans last year. Mexico is not being a good partner if they’re letting the cartels get away with what they are getting away with.
(…)
