Fourth Republican debate LIVE: Chris Christie calls Vivek Ramaswamy ‘the most obnoxious blowhard in America’ – and he responds by telling him to ‘enjoy a nice meal’

An irate Governor Christie went after Ramaswamy, calling him “America's most annoying blowout.”

He went on to say, “Shut up for a second” and get back to the issues at hand.

Christie explained his years of experience in national security and serving as U.S. Attorney in New Jersey during the September 11 attacks.

“I filed the first two cases in this country against terrorists who tried to attack us again. And I know about the threat of terrorism and bullying in this country and around the world.”

Christie added, “And at that moment, [Vivek] learned about the provinces in Ukraine while his smart mouth was at Harvard. That's what was going on.'

“And the fact was, he was a Democrat at the time,” Christie continued.

Vivek interrupted his momentum and interjected, “You were too busy hugging Barack Obama.”

“All he knows how to do is insult good people who have dedicated their lives to public service and say nothing that moves the ball down the field for the United States,” Christie said before halftime.

Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie finally got his word in, 17 minutes into the debate.

Megyn Kelly asked him about his change in tone about former President Trump.

He accused Trump of “not having the guts” to attend the fourth Republican debate.

And then compared Trump to the famous villain 'Voldemort – he who shall not be named.'

“They don't want to talk about Trump,” Christie said, referring to DeSantis, Haley and Ramaswamy.

“They are shy to say anything about Trump” because he is a “dictator, a bully, who has shot at everyone.”

Christie came out in force for Trump, criticizing it for taking nearly 20 minutes for the former president's name to come up.

“And for us not to talk for seventeen minutes about the guy who has all those flashy songs you were talking about is ridiculous. I'm in the race because the truth must be spoken. He's unfit.'

Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy questioned Haley's financial situation.

“Nikki, you were bankrupt when you left the UN,” he said. Once you got on the board of directors of Boeing, “now you're a multi-millionaire.”

“The calculations are wrong, the bottom line is that you are corrupt,” he accused.

Haley clapped back, saying her family was “not broke” when she left the UN

'We serve people, my husband was in the army and I was an ambassador and governor. It may be bankrupt for him, but not for us.'

She explained that she was on the board of Boeing, but after they decided they wanted to go for a “business rescue,” she “respectfully stepped back and left the board.”

“I love Boeing, they build commercial airplanes and for our Air Force and I'm proud of them and that's why I left the board. There's nothing wrong with what he says

“And when it comes to the donors who support me, they are jealous, they wish they supported them.”

Ron DeSantis then intervened, saying Haley is meeting with top corporate donors who want to “impose a left-wing agenda on this country.”

“Nikki will give in to the big donors when push comes to shove,” he accused.

Haley responded, “thanks for all the attention, guys, thanks.”

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis immediately attacked Nikki Haley during his response to Megyn Kelly's initial question about eligibility.

DeSantis is currently tracking Haley in New Hampshire and South Carolina.

The governor touted his own military record and results in Florida before taking a swipe at Haley.

“You have other candidates up there, like Nikki Haley, she swerves every time the left comes after her, every time the media comes after her,” he accused.

He then referred to his bill in Florida to stop the gender mutilation of minors.

He accused Haley of “opposing the bill” and that she “thinks it's fine and the law shouldn't interfere with it.”

Haley quickly clapped back, replying that Ron “keeps lying about my criminal record.”

“I actually said his 'Don't Say Gay' bill didn't go far enough because gender wasn't talked about until third grade,” she responded.

On Wednesday morning, DailyMail.com published a poll that undermined Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley's argument that they are more electable than Donald Trump.

In fact, our swing states survey shows that while Trump beats Biden by five points in Arizona, DeSantis can only tie and Haley loses by two points.

In Georgia, Trump beats Biden in a head-to-head matchup by two points, but DeSantis loses by six points and Haley loses by one.

Things are different in Wisconsin. There, Biden would beat Trump and DeSantis by four points if the 2024 election were held tomorrow, but would lose to Haley by one percentage point.

All results have a margin of error of 4.2 percent but show Trump as Biden's strongest Republican challenger in at least two of the crucial battlegrounds.

“These are good results for the Trump campaign: Trump is best positioned to beat Biden in both Arizona and Georgia,” said James Johnson, co-founder of JL Partners, which conducted the poll.

However, Haley can take heart from the results in Wisconsin. While DeSantis and Trump trail Biden, Haley Biden nearly pulls into a tie with the independents and therefore claims the state by a one-point margin overall.

“DeSantis is a bit disappointed with these results: he is failing to mobilize the Republican base to the extent that Trump is, while he is also failing to match Haley's performance among independents.”

Megyn Kelly returns as debate moderator for the pivotal night for the candidates in the Republican presidential race.

Four White House hopefuls will take the stage in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, with just six weeks until the Iowa caucuses.

Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley are battling for second place behind front-runner Donald Trump.

Chris Christie, who has only just qualified for the debate, needs a top performance to get back into contention.

Vivek Ramaswamy is also eyeing another rise in the polls after his combative performance in Miami for the third debate.

Nearly two-thirds of potential Republican primary voters said they plan to attend at least part of the GOP's fourth primary debate tonight in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

The latest poll from Morning Consult found that 34 percent of potential Republican voters planned to watch the entire two-hour show, while another 30 percent said they planned to watch part of it.

Only 25 percent said they would not comment on the debate at all.

Former President Donald Trump, the distant leader of the Republican pack, is skipping the event again.

So far, Trump's no-shows haven't put a dent in his lead, even though more than 75 percent of Republican voters attach some importance to the debates.

Only 6 percent said they were not important at all.

Three women moderate the fourth Republican presidential primary debate.

SiriusXM's Megyn Kelly, formerly of Fox News, returns to the GOP debates after his showdown with Trump in the 2016 cycle remains one of the most watched debates in history.

NewsNation's Elizabeth Vargas and Washington Free Beacon Editor-in-Chief Eliana Johnson also take their seats behind the moderator desk.

Megyn Kelly posted a photo of herself getting her hair and makeup done before the debate in Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Vivek Ramaswamy and Chris Christie qualified for the debate for the fourth Republican primary on Wednesday.

NewsNation is hosting the debate at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

Rumble and NewsNationNow.com will stream the debate live from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM ET.

It will also air on NewsNation, The CW and its affiliates in other time zones.

Stand-ins take positions behind the debate stages in preparation for the fourth Republican presidential primary debate on Wednesday afternoon at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa