Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley traded attacks throughout most of the twohour debate; The primaries begin on Monday (January 15)
The Republican Party's primary candidates for the White House, Ron DeSantis (Governor of Florida) and Nikki Haley (former Governor of South Carolina), spared former President Donald Trump from the primaries in the debate on Wednesday (January 10, 2024) in Iowa. This stance contrasts with previous debates in which the former president, even when absent, dominated participants' speeches.
DeSantis and Haley were the only ones who attended the CNNsponsored event. According to the station's rules, it was necessary to achieve more than 10% of voting intentions in polls in the state to be invited. Trump could have attended but chose not to attend a debate before the primaries. Information comes from The New York Times.
Haley and DeSantis traded attacks throughout most of the twohour debate. The former governor labeled her opponent a “desperate” candidate and said he was lying to voters about being behind in the race. DeSantis said Haley is a liberal in conservative clothing who cannot be trusted when it comes to fundamental rightwing values.
In the final part of the debate, the moderator mentioned Trump's name and asked Haley and DeSantis to comment on the legal issues facing the former president, particularly those related to the invasion of the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Haley said it was a terrible day. In her opinion, the Trump defense argument that he will not be punished for the episode is “ridiculous.”
Some states have banned the former president's name from appearing on primary election ballots because of his role on Jan. 6, which state courts deemed an act of insurrection that would violate the U.S. Constitution. In Trump's defense, presidents should have immunity for crimes unless they are indicted.
Haley described Trump's administration as four years of “chaos” and vowed to be “a new generation leader who will bring sanity back to the country.”
DeSantis characterized Trump as someone who “vomited” speech on social media but was wrongly prosecuted for his involvement on Jan. 6. He stressed that Trump could still be convicted in the middle of the campaign, which would hurt Republicans' chances of winning this year's presidential election.
The US party primaries begin on Monday (January 15) in Iowa. Read the most important dates of the North American presidential elections here.