Credits: NBC News
Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Whtw3qKQnQ
Throughout the Fourth Republican Primaries Debate, there were multiple instances of the Republican candidates directly verbally attacking other candidates on stage. A prime example was when Chris Christie began trading insults with Vivek Ramaswamy while discussing their opinions on Nikki Haley.
The reason Ramaswamy was targeting Nikki Haley in the first place was because her popularity was rising in polls and was threatening Ramaswamy’s potential spot for second place (Trump still being in first). As the only Republican candidate left who is openly critical of Trump being president, Christie stepped in to defend Haley, hoping that she would be able to beat out Trump and Ramaswamy to become the President instead. Throughout Ramaswamy and Christie’s exchange, they utilize lots of different speaking skills and techniques to seem more dominant and powerful.
First, they both understand their audience and tailor what they say to hook more people to their side. Throughout their heated argument, both sides often use humorous but serious language and insults that would appeal to a younger generation of Americans. For example, Christie tells Ramaswamy “This is the fourth debate that you would’ve been voted in the first 20 minutes as the most obnoxious blowhard in America, so shut the hell up” while Ramaswamy fires back with “So do everybody a favor, just walk yourself off that stage, enjoy a nice meal, and get the hell out of this place”. While these comments may not seem professional or fitting in a Presidential Primaries debate, the comments are humorous and meant to hook the audience in the sense that many younger Americans enjoy insulting comments and language.
Second, both candidates utilize non-verbal communication extensively. Christie is often pointing at Ramaswamy while throwing out insults, making it clear to the audience that everything he is saying is meant as a direct attack against Ramaswamy. Ramaswamy uses big hand gestures while highlighting negative things that Christie has done in the past to emphasize how big of a deal they were. Furthermore, both candidate’s facial expressions are furrowed and furious as they talk, making it clear that they are both passionate about and mean everything they say as they insult one another. Both candidates often also turn to each other directly when throwing out insults about each other, then back to the crowd when discussing the direct impact of different situations on American citizens to make it feel like they are debating each other for our sake and safety. For example, Ramaswamy looks directly at the crowd when he says “…these people want to send your sons and daughters to die in Ukraine… neither of them could even name for you a province they want to protect”. Not only does Ramaswamy appeal to the audience’s ethos (targetting parents of children who could get drafted), but his emphasis on this issue by staring directly at the crowd helps convey his message even more.
Lastly, both candidates take advantage of how they speak by controlling their volume and speed to emphasize different things at different times. Whenever Ramaswamy or Christie wants to emphasize something, their voices grow in both volume and speed so the audience is more likely to hear and remember what they say. Both candidates often yell over each other with extra stern and heated voices when trying to get their point across to establish their dominance in the argument and show they’re in control of the situation.