Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley jumped in after a feisty exchange between Chris Christie and Vivek Ramaswamy, distinguishing herself as the only woman onstage.
"I think this is exactly why Margaret Thatcher said, 'If you want something said, ask a man. If you want something done, ask a woman,'" she said, acknowledging that climate change is real and arguing that to address it, the U.S. needs to pressure China and India to lower their emissions.
Haley smoothly took the first swipe of the night on a question about excessive federal spending and nodded to her accounting degree from Clemson.
The former South Carolina governor and former U.N. ambassador didn't blink in turning to her rivals with congressional experience to blame them — not Joe Biden — for the nation's debt.
"You have Ron DeSantis. You've got Tim Scott. You've got Mike Pence. They all voted to raise the debt. And Donald Trump added 8 trillion to our debt," Haley said.
Scott is a South Carolina senator, DeSantis a former Florida representative and Pence a former congressman from Indiana.
Haley said, "So you tell me. Who are the big spenders? I think it's time for an accountant in the White House."