The Republican debate opens with Vivek Ramaswamy attacking NBC News co-anchor Kristen Welker and grumbling that the GOP has become “a party of losers.”

Vivek Ramaswamy used his opening question at the third Republican debate to turn to an old position: the attack on the media.

In this case, he stalked Kristen Welker, who co-hosts the event with Lester Holt, during the event hosted by NBC News.

“It has to be Tucker Carlson, Joe Rogan and Elon Musk. We will increase viewership tenfold if we ask questions that really matter to Republican Party primary voters and bring more people to our party,” said Ramaswamy.

Ramaswamy added: “Do you think the Democrats would actually hire Greg Gutfeld to actually moderate a Democratic debate? They wouldn’t.”

It was the first non-Fox News debate of the cycle, with NBC News also partnering with Salem Radio Network and Rumble, and Holt and Welker were joined by Salem’s Hugh Hewitt as moderator.

Ramaswamy responded to a fairly open-ended first question posed to all candidates by Lester Holt: Why should you, not Donald Trump, be the Republican nominee?

He didn’t really answer. Instead, he tried to blame the mainstream media, a favorite talking point of right-wing Republicans. Ramaswamy, who is trailing former UN ambassador Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as Trump’s alternative in the field, has already indicated he will take steps to try to distinguish himself from the field that also includes Sen. Tim Scott (R -SC) included. ) and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on stage in Miami.

Ramaswamy tried to engage Welker by telling her. “The Trump-Russia hoax you have been spreading on this network for years. Was it real or was Hillary Clinton making up disinformation? Answer the question. Go.”

A camera showed Welker staring at him but not responding. Ramaswamy went on to claim that the media had “rigged” the 2016 and 2020 elections before Holt informed him that his time was up.

Ramaswamy also blamed Republican Leader Ronna McDaniel for Republican losses in Tuesday’s election and past disappointments, calling the Republican Party a “party of losers” and “a cancer on the Republican establishment.”

Trump – described in comments before the debate as “not the elephant in the room” – again skipped the event and planned a rally in nearby Hialeah as a countermeasure.

As we saw from Ramaswamy’s opening answer, the debate could be the last chance for one or more of the candidates to make a breakthrough, with the Republican field already thinned significantly. Former Vice President Mike Pence, who participated in the final debate, dropped out of the race last month.

In his initial response, DeSantis expanded on his attacks on Trump, saying he “owes it to you to stand on this stage and explain why he should be given another chance.” Unlike Ramaswamy, DeSantis also appeared to blame Trump for the losses Republicans blame. , pointing out that the former was the case Famous student The host said Republicans are tired of winning. [As] We saw last night – I’m tired of losing.

Ramaswamy also came to the debate with a practiced line of attacking Haley and DeSantis simultaneously. “Do you want a leader of another generation who will put this country first, or do you want Dick Cheney in 8-inch heels?” Then we have two on stage tonight.” It was a reference to Haley’s foreign policy positions and DeSantis’ shoes.

NBC News is giving candidates a little more time to answer questions — 90 seconds — in hopes of limiting the number of candidates talking over each other. It happened during the final debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, when there were incomprehensible moments during some of the verbal arguments. Holt warned candidates from the start that “continued interruptions may result in additional questions being lost.”