DeSantis, Haley talk tough on Trump, illegal immigration, spar over Disney, trans bills
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley squared off in a Republican presidential primary debate hosted by CNN on Wednesday evening in Iowa less than a week before the state's first-in-the-nation caucus.
DeSantis and Haley polled strong enough to qualify for the debate, which was held at Drake University in Des Moines. GOP frontrunner and former President Donald Trump also qualified for the debate, but declined to appear.
When moderator Jake Tapper asked the candidates' opinions about Trump, Haley replied that while she agreed many of his policies as president, she felt that "his way is not my way."
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"I don't have vengeance, I don't have vendettas," Haley, who served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations during the Trump administration, said. "For me, it's very much about no drama, no whining, and getting results and getting them done. So, I don't think that President Trump is the right president to go forward."
DeSantis responded that while he "appreciated" what Trump did in office, he also believed that Trump failed to deliver on a host of campaign promises he made in 2016.
"He said he was going to build a wall and have Mexico pay for it; he did not deliver that," DeSantis remarked. "He said he was going to drain the swamp; he did not deliver that. He said he was going to hold Hillary [Clinton] accountable, and he let her off the hook."
"He said he was going to eliminate the debt, and he added $7.8 trillion to the debt. So, we need to deliver and get this stuff done."
Haley felt Trump did not do enough to curb the influence of Communist China and also stated that she wished he would have come to the debate to defend his record.
On the issue of increasing illegal immigration, DeSantis vowed to build a wall on the southern border and opposed any amnesty for those who were in the United States illegally.
"We have to enforce the rule of law in this country," said DeSantis. "Biden has failed in this endeavor. He has not taken care that the laws of this country be faithfully executed."
DeSantis claimed that Haley would not do a good job of enforcing immigration laws, saying "she's weak on immigration" and pointing to comments in 2015 when she said undocumented immigrants should not be labeled "criminals."
Haley replied that when she was governor of South Carolina, the state passed "the toughest illegal immigration law in the country." She wants to nationalize E-Verify, a program that allows employers to check the status of workers. She vowed to defund sanctuary cities.
Moderator Dana Bash asked DeSantis how he reconciled the Republican principle of government not interfering with business with his treatment of Disney after the Florida-based company opposed a bill he championed that prohibited public school teachers from discussing gender identity and sexual orientation with students in kindergarten through third grade.
DeSantis replied that his policies were aimed at protecting children. He said he "fought for the kids" when championing that legislation and succeeded in getting that law passed.
DeSantis focused on Haley, saying that she "sided with Disney. She invited them to South Carolina, even though they were involved in transing kids," and that she "will cave to the woke mob every single time."
In April, Haley appeared on Fox News to react to Disney suing DeSantis over what the corporation described as a "relentless campaign to weaponize government power over the company." In a tweet promoting her segment, Haley stated that South Carolina would gladly accept Disney if it chose to leave Florida.
"SC's not woke, but we're not sanctimonious about it either," Haley tweeted at the time.
In the debate, Haley responded to the criticism, arguing that government "was never meant to be all things to all people" and that Americans do not need "government politicizing anything."
"I have always fought to protect kids," she replied. "I have always said that boys need to go into boys' bathrooms, girls need to go into girls' bathrooms, that we shouldn't have any gender transitions before the age of 18, just like we don't have tattoos before the age of 18."
Haley said that Disney has been "woke" for years and accused DeSantis of not opposing Disney until the company opposed him directly.
DeSantis accused Haley of killing a bill in South Carolina that would have banned people from using bathrooms on the basis of gender identity instead of biological sex.
Haley countered that the legislation in question was introduced 10 years ago when the issue was considered a minor matter. Even then, she said she supported bathroom usage based on sex rather than gender identity and that students requesting special accommodations should be able to use a specified bathroom in the school.
They also discussed healthcare, taxation, the economy, support for Israel during its war with Hamas, school choice, education and abortion laws.
Iowa voters will hold their caucus on Monday, which is also Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, making it the first state-level race for Republican presidential candidates in 2024.
The Real Clear Politics average of Republican nomination polling shows Trump in the lead with 62%, followed by Haley at 11.4% and DeSantis at 11.0% as of Thursday morning. The RCP average of Iowa GOP Presidential Caucus polling shows Haley and DeSantis at 16.6% and 16.4%, respectively. Trump leads all Republicans with 52.2% support in Iowa.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a staunch Trump critic, announced he is suspending his presidential campaign Wednesday.
"It's clear to me tonight that there isn't a path for me to win the nomination," said Christie, as quoted by The Wall Street Journal. "I want to promise you this, I am going to make sure that in no way do I enable Donald Trump to ever be president of the United States again."
