Haley-DeSantis Debate Takeaways

Paresh Jadhav

Haley

If you were hoping that a CNN town hall might help repair its image as once held up as an example of good journalism by John Malone and Fox empire, you were sorely disappointed. Instead, it only reinforced an already longstanding partnership between Trump and CNN that goes back decades.

DeSantis Snubbed Trump?

Donald Trump has long been at the head of the Republican presidential field, yet now faces stiff competition in Iowa from Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis – two candidates hoping to gain credibility as credible alternatives to Donald Trump in Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucuses on Monday.

At Fox Town Hall, it was clear that Donald Trump had been advised by his advisors not to attack any of his rivals directly; instead he stuck to his stump speech on topics like immigration and economic issues.

Donald Trump delivered his trademark message of being “Dictator for one Day,” to close illegal border crossings and enhance energy projects. On taxes, he reiterated his promise for a flat tax that he claims would provide working families more disposable income to spend. Finally, he voiced his support for Israel while condemning Hamas as a terrorist group looking to trigger another holocaust.

Haley Snubbed DeSantis?

Haley and DeSantis exchanged sharp remarks at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa during their debate. Both candidates attempted to strike a balance between criticizing President Donald Trump while not alienating voters who put them on the Republican ticket.

In their opening statements, candidates took jabs at each other. When discussing Israel, Haley attacked DeSantis for supporting an employee who shared anti-Semitic memes; DeSantis countered by asserting that America must support Israel militarily against Hamas.

DeSantis spent much of the debate attempting to discredit her record as governor of South Carolina and her foreign affairs policy stance, specifically her criticism of a GOP effort to condemn antisemitism on college campuses and demand for an annual balance budget from Congress. DeSantis further attacked her for using an offensive stereotype alleging conservative governments want women who undergo abortions locked up – something she attempted to disprove by fighting back against this claim.

Haley

DeSantis Snubbed Haley?

Haley and DeSantis had one final chance to establish themselves before Iowa hosts its leadoff GOP caucuses next week, but unfortunately their plans didn’t quite pan out as anticipated.

Haley immediately took control of the debate by criticizing DeSantis on his foreign policy positions and alleging he is beholden to donors, corporations and international interests. DeSantis responded by calling her an insincere politician who gives voters only what they want to hear.

DeSantis also used the debate to criticize Haley for her sports gaffe when she mixed Caitlin Collins of Iowa Hawkeyes basketball with Kaitlan Collins from US Women’s National Basketball Team. Haley took offense at this criticism and claimed Iowans understood she was making a joke; in defense of her position on foreign policy she felt her views had been misrepresented unfairly by DeSantis’ attacks and countered back with arguments of her own that were taken out of context; nevertheless it appeared both candidates were competing to survive in Iowa.

DeSantis Snubbed Trump?

On most issues, candidates avoided engaging in contentious debate. When discussing abortion, for instance, DeSantis failed to challenge President Trump’s claim that “radical” Democrats want to kill unborn babies after they are born; when asked directly about her court fights Haley declined comment directly.

Two campaigns did ramp up their attacks against each other, each attacking one another’s political operations for spending on private planes and financial disclosures showing that DeSantis’ campaign has mostly operated from Florida.

Both candidates discussed inflation’s impact on working Americans, although both may have made some misstatements or errors in their statements. For example, neither candidate mentioned how prices are rising faster than American wages or that many families are struggling to keep up with grocery expenses. Still, both debaters highlighted its significance ahead of their anticipated presidential runs and this debate provided them with valuable experience as they confront stiff primary battles ahead.

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