DeSantis leads Haley in aggressive debate ahead of Iowa primary

With the Iowa Republican primary very close, Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley debate to see who will take second place next Monday, January 15. Both candidates are battling each other to determine who is the strongest alternative to Donald Trump, who continues to lead comfortably in all polls.

Although DeSantis had started well above Haley in the polls, recent months saw the latter’s strong rise both nationally and at the state level, eventually competing directly for second place.

In the hours before the event, the governor of Florida and the former ambassador to the United Nations bombarded each other with negative ads and videos to weaken their opponent before taking the stage.

Iowa primaries historically push for the candidate who exceeds expectations, so the debate, broadcast on CNN, could define both presidential campaigns heading into New Hampshire, the candidates’ next stop.

Looking to the Hawkeye State, DeSantis took it upon himself to visit each and every county while obtaining important endorsements such as Governor Kim Reynolds and evangelical leader Bob Vander Plaats. The latter may be very important since he supported Mike Huckabee in 2008, Rick Santorum in 2012 and Ted Cruz in 2016. What do they all have in common? They all won the Iowa Republican primaries.

As for Haley, she’s earned the trust of many local lawmakers and hopes the momentum of recent weeks will be enough to guarantee her a second-place finish.

Haley vs. DeSantis

The debate began by mentioning Chris Christie, who dropped out of the race hours before the start of the event and then focused on the Iowa primary. The moderators began by asking directly why the candidates present are the best alternative to Donald Trump.

The first to respond was the Florida governor, who emphasized his results in the Sunshine State and then attacked his rival, claiming she doesn’t have much to show for her record.

Haley responded by accusing DeSantis of being a liar and even referred viewers to a website about his lies. In turn, she assured that the GOP needs new leadership and that she is the right person.

Donald Trump

The conversation quickly turned to the former president, specifically whether or not he has the moral compass to return to the White House. At this point, his former ambassador to the United Nations clarified that he was “the right president at the right time” and that she agreed with many of his policies but that it was time for a new figure to lead the GOP of the future.

“I wish Donald Trump was up here on this stage. He’s the one that I’m running against. He’s the one that I wish would be here. He needs to be defending his record. Right now, he’s not defending the fact that he allowed us to go $8 trillion in debt in four years that our children are never going to forgive us for the fact that he didn’t deal with China when it came to stealing intellectual property,” she said.

DeSantis began the same way but was even more incisive against Trump, listing campaign promises he failed to keep during his four years in office. For example, he named building the border wall paid for by Mexico, cleaning up the swamp and reducing the public debt.

In turn, he said that the former president was in the race to defend his own interests, while he is in the race to defend Americans.

Economics

As for the first economic policy to be implemented, Haley criticized excessive pandemic spending and encouraged respect for taxpayer dollars. Second, she promised to make tax cuts for small businesses permanent, lower the tax burden for the middle class and eliminate the Diesel tax.

DeSantis shared part of the talks he held with Iowa voters, who told him that the American dream was dying. He accused his rival of being corporate and promised to replicate the model he implemented in Florida.

The temperature began to rise in the room as they began to attack each other over their respective gubernatorial records.

DeSantis also defended implementing what is known as a “Flat Tax,” which translates into the same tax rate for all taxpayers. He trashed the role of the IRS during the Obama Administration and promised to end what he defined as the politicization of the Federal Government. As for the size of the government, he said he would reduce both its size and its reach into the lives of citizens.

Immigration

The Florida governor took the floor first and attacked Trump for having deported fewer people than Barack Obama and for not finishing the border wall. In turn, he criticized Haley for not referring to illegal immigrants as criminals. He described her as “weak” on this topic and affirmed that he would tidy up the southern border if he reached the White House.

Haley defended the implementation of E-Verify, promising to take the program nationwide and also spoke of increasing the number of border agents. She spoke of cutting incentives to enter the U.S. illegally and defunding sanctuary cities.

DeSantis countered by claiming that his rival opposed the border wall in 2016, to which Haley clarified that her position is that building the wall alone is not enough. The Florida governor also opposed any kind of amnesty, insisting that you cannot create incentives for people to risk their lives trying to enter the United States illegally.

International relations: Israel and Ukraine

Haley began this by stating that she does not believe that money should be sent to any country, friend or foe, because the destination of the funds cannot be controlled, although she does support sending ammunition and equipment. Having said that, she explained that the importance of Ukraine prevailing over Russia is to “prevent a war,” also mentioning the situation in China and Taiwan.

DeSantis compared his rival to Joe Biden and said that priorities should be national ones, pointing to the southern border. Haley pointed out that the aforementioned wars are important to U.S. national security and that it is possible to help allies in the West and also deal with the border.

When it came time to talk about the war between Israel and Hamas, DeSantis asserted that the United States must stand firmly behind Israel both privately and publicly. He noted that the terrorist group is seeking a “second Holocaust” and that Haley supports the two-state solution; in his eyes, this would be a detrimental decision to Israel.

The former ambassador to the United Nations asserted that the U.S. needs Israel and that they must back them to eliminate Hamas and recover all hostages safe and sound.

She attacked her rival for campaigning with Congressman Thomas Massie (R-KY), whom she accused of being one of the most anti-Israel lawmakers in Congress. Both agreed to hold Iran responsible for the actions of both Hamas and Hezbollah.

The role of the Federal government

DeSantis mentioned his altercation with Disney and assured that the role of the government is to “protect children,” while his rival had defended Disney’s interests. The former governor said that officials should not target private companies.

Abortion

DeSantis mentioned the presence of Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, who is backing his candidacy to reinforce his pro-life stance, in contrast to Trump, who he said is moving further and further away from that stance.

“I think she’s been confused on the issue. I think she’s trying to speak to different groups with different things. But when she says things like, ‘Pro-lifers need to stop talking about throwing women in jail,’ that’s a trope. No one I’ve ever met thinks that that’s something that’s appropriate,” he noted about Haley.

He also said Haley had had many different answers for different groups but turned to Trump for explanations of her beliefs.

The former governor defined herself as authentically pro-life and indicated that the GOP’s goal should be to save as many lives as possible while saying it was an extremely sensitive issue.

Importance of the Constitution

Haley again took aim at the former president, first for not recognizing the results of the 2020 presidential elections and then for saying that January 6, 2021, had been a good day.

DeSantis recalled the importance of both the presidential oath and that of the members of the Army, oriented to defend the Constitution above all else, and said the president should try to be an example to follow.

What do they admire about each other?

Emulating that scene between Trump and Hillary Clinton in 2016, CNN moderators asked the candidates to highlight some positive aspects of their rival. DeSantis began by highlighting Haley’s role as ambassador to the United Nations and her leadership in the state of South Carolina, where she was governor.

Haley was a bit more terse and simply said DeSantis is a “good governor.”