The second GOP presidential primary debate is facing controversy because of the left-wing claims and questions posed by one of the moderators.
Moderator Ilia Calderón works for Univision, a left-wing network, and according to NewsBusters, it showed in the sorts of claims she made and questions she asked.
At one point, for example, she claimed gun violence is unique to America:
Univision’s Ilia Calderón pushes the liberal media’s BIG LIE that gun violence is “unique” to America.
In reality, Central American countries are some of the most unsafe in the world and violence drives a lot of illegal immigration. If the US is so unsafe, why are they coming? pic.twitter.com/bisJepV58F— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) September 28, 2023
It was an odd claim given that gun violence is far more serious a concern in South American nations like Mexico and Colombia.
“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,” NewsBusters notes.
Slightly later in the debate, Calderón went on to blame Americans — not illegal aliens, smugglers, and traffickers — for fentanyl pouring across the 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?” she said.
Listen:
Calderón goes on to blame Americans for the Fentanyl crisis and the drug trade coming across the southern border. pic.twitter.com/0JpsvcjQBA
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) September 28, 2023
But it gets even worse.
Later during the debate, Calderón repeated the left’s blatant lie that Florida schools have been instructed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to teach that slavery was a good thing.
“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?” she said.
Thankfully, DeSantis forcefully stood up against her.
“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,” he said.
Watch the back-and-forth exchange below:
In another instance of why Republicans shouldn’t submit themselves to questions from a biased press, Calderón pedded Kamala Harris’s BIG LIE about what Florida teaches about slavery.
DeSantis pushes back. pic.twitter.com/pkhU5Wk59G— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) September 28, 2023
Later still in the debate, Calderón demanded to know what former Vice President Mike Pence would do to protect “LGBTQ+ people.”
“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 community are nine times more likely to be victims of violent hate crimes. As president, how would you protect this committee from violent attacks and discrimination?” she said.
The former VP replied by pointing out that as president, he’d “stand up for” EVERYBODY, not just the left’s preferred minority groups.
“Well, as president of the United States, I’ll stand up for the safety and the civil liberties of every American, from every background. And I want the American people to know that. We’re gonna stand up for the rights of parents and we’re gonna pass a federal ban on transgender chemical or surgical—surgery, anywhere in the country,” he said.
And finally, Calderón complained about the desire by many GOP candidates to use the U.S. military to put Mexico’s dangerous, murderous cartels in check.
“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 attack the cartels in Mexico. So, this means boots on the ground, drone strikes?” she said.
In response, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley decimated her.
“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,” she said.
Listen:
Calderon whines about candidates who want to take the fight to drug cartels in Mexico, parrots criticism of them from Mexico’s president, and falsely claims Mexico is a good partner for the U.S.
Nikki Haley slaps her down by calling out Mexico for being a bad partner. pic.twitter.com/rDT3nka0un— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) September 28, 2023
Calderón’s questions were so left-wing that they predictably later attracted praise from radically far-left MSNBC conspiracy theorist Rachel Maddow. For instance, she was beyond thrilled over her question to Pence.
“She [Calderón] confronted former Vice President Mike Pence with this question about the LGBTQ community. It was a question that Fox viewers are not used to hearing, and it elicited at first, a sort of general platitude for Mr. Pence, and then a somewhat chilling threat from him toward that community,” the MSNBC host said.
Listen:
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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