Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley called fellow Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy “scum” on Wednesday after he challenged her ability to confront China and the Beijing-linked social media app TikTok by saying her daughter was a user.

“Keep my daughter out of your voice,” Ms. Haley fumed, adding, “You’re just scum.”

She and Mr. Ramaswamy had been exchanging barbs all night during the third debate of the presidential primary, with him calling her “Dick Cheney in 3-inch heels.”

But things turned decidedly nasty when the candidates were asked how they would confront China and deal with TikTok, which U.S. authorities say is essentially a spyware program siphoning users’ details and sending it to Beijing.

Mr. Ramaswamy has a TikTok account and has had to defend his use, saying he is meeting young voters where they are. He also said Ms. Haley was wrong to chide him for the account.

“Well her own daughter was actually using the app for a long time, so you might want to take care of your family first,” Mr. Ramaswamy said.

The audience at the debate booed him even as Ms. Haley fired back.

• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.