With five days until the Iowa caucuses, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis take to the stage of the fifth GOP presidential debate at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, on Jan. 10, as former President Donald Trump participates in a town hall on Fox News. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie announced that he’s suspending his campaign just hours before the debate. Follow here for live updates.
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No Handshake
The CNN debate closed on Jan. 10 with awkward smiles from both Mr. DeSantis and Ms. Haley.
After CNN’s Jake Tapper pitched the network’s coverage of the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 15, Mr. DeSantis folded up his notes and walked toward stage left, the opposite direction of Ms. Haley. His son, Mason DeSantis, ran onto the stage for a hug.
The network cut away and the next shot was the Florida governor embracing his young son and his wife, Casey DeSantis. Florida’s First Family walked off the stage waving to the crowd.
Ms. Haley, for her part, went into the crowd to shake hands, greet attendees and her family, and take pictures with supporters.
Missing? The customary handshake.
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DeSantis in Closing: ‘I’m Running for Your Issues’
In his closing debate remarks, Mr. DeSantis told viewers that former President Trump is “running for his issues” and Ms. Haley is “running for her donors’ issues.”
“I’m running for your issues, your family’s issues, and solely to turn this country around,” he said.
“I’m the only one running that’s delivered on 100 percent of my promises, and I’m the only one running that has beaten the left time and time again from the teachers’ unions to [Dr. Anthony] Fauci to the Democratic Party.”
Republicans need to put the American people first, he said, adding that “we can’t run under a banner of pale pastels of the warmed-over corporatism, the likes of which is practiced by Nikki Haley.”
“Freedom is on the ballot,” he said. “Decline is a choice. We have it within our power to fix this country and to turn it around.”
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Haley’s Closing Argument
In conclusion, Ms. Haley said that America cannot afford “four more years of chaos” whether it’s under President Biden or President Trump.
Ms. Haley touted polls that show her handedly beating President Biden whereas they show President Trump barely beating President Biden.
“We can’t go through another nail-biter of an election,” she said.
A resounding electoral victory, she said, would create a “mandate” from the House to the Senate to school boards.
“That’s a mandate to get our spending under control and get inflation down. That’s a mandate to get our kids reading again and go back to the basics and education as a mandate to secure our borders with no more excuses,” she said.
“That’s a mandate to bring law and order back to our country,” continued Ms. Haley. “And that’s a mandate for a strong America that we can be proud of.”
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Say Something Nice About Each Other
After what the moderators called a lively debate, the candidates were challenged to say something positive about each other.
Mr. DeSantis said he thought Ms. Haley “spoke out strongly on some key issues and I appreciated it” while she was representing the U.S. at the UN.
The Florida governor changed the subject somewhat saying his wife went to South Carolina’s College of Charleston and her family lived in the Palmetto State for years.
“It’s a wonderful state,” Mr. DeSantis said. “There’s a lot of great people there. I think to be able to have been governor there is a great achievement. I really appreciate everyone I’ve gotten to meet in South Carolina.”
Ms. Haley was asked the same question. She replied curtly.
“I think he’s been a good governor,” Ms. Haley said.
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DeSantis, Haley Hit Biden’s Green Policies
Mr. DeSantis decried President Biden’s green agenda. He said he would get out of the Obama-era Paris Climate Agreement, which the United States re-entered on President Biden’s first day in office after the United States withdrew from it under President Trump. He called out the hypocrisy of President Obama and climate envoy John Kerry in that they preach climate change but they themselves have a huge carbon footprint.
“John Kerry hasn’t given up his private jet,” he said. “Obama hasn’t given up his Martha’s Vineyard seaside mansion.”
Ms. Haley blasted President Barrack Obama for what she said was not holding China and India, two of the world’s biggest polluters, accountable.
She claimed that the United States does not have the infrastructure, from charging stations to bridges, to deal with electric vehicles—which the Biden administration has relentlessly promoted.
She pledged to undo green subsidies and advocated for innovation such as on nuclear fusion. She even accused Mr. DeSantis of taking stimulus money from President Biden and allocated it toward charging stations.
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Mental Health of Veterans, Children on ‘Front Burner’ for DeSantis
On the campaign trail, many voters are really concerned about mental health, particularly with kids in school and people coming out of service to our country, Mr. DeSantis stated.
“We’re going to put a big emphasis on mental health,” he said. “I’ve actually delivered on some of these things in Florida.”
Mr. DeSantis argued that the federal government’s response to COVID led to “devastating mental health consequences for the school closures.”
He also promised to put the issue of veterans’ mental health “on the front burner.”
“We can’t keep turning a blind eye to what’s happening to our vets,” Mr. DeSantis said.
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Haley on Healthcare: ‘We Are Going to Open It All Up’
When asked about her healthcare policy proposals, Ms. Haley said the U.S. needs to deal with its problem of having the most expensive healthcare system in the world. Her solution is to “open it all up from the hospitals to the insurance companies to the doctor’s offices to the pharmaceuticals to the [Pharmacy Benefit Managers] and make them have to show us everything.”
Ms. Haley vowed to establish a healthcare system where patients know how much they will be charged for something before a visit or procedure.
“We’re going to take the patient out of the backseat and put them in the driver’s seat,” Ms. Haley said. “We’re going to go and make it transparent so that we can see everything so they have to show us their warts.”
Additionally, she vowed to pass tort reform nationally which would limit a healthcare provider’s exposure to legal risk. She promised to eliminate “certificate of need” policies which would limit the amount of medical facilities in a certain area.
“We’re going to put competition back in healthcare, so that healthcare is fighting for the patient,” Ms. Haley said.
When pressed about the original question, referring to states expanding Medicaid in response to the Affordable Care Act, Ms. Haley responded that Medicaid “needs to be sent down as block grants.”
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DeSantis: DC Appeals Court Will Rule Against Trump
Mr. DeSantis said the Appeals Court will rule against former President Donald Trump in his claim that immune from Special Counsel Jack Smith’s prosecution over his attempts to challenge the 2020 election results.
Mr. DeSantis said it would be detrimental if President Trump were the nominee amid his legal troubles.
“What are the odds that he’s going to get through that and that they’ve been talking about the the validity of the charges. I don’t think he gets through that,” he said.
“And so what are we going to do as Republicans in terms of who we nominate for president and Trump is the nominee it’s going to be about Jan. 6, legal issues, criminal trials, the Democrats in the media would love to run with that,” continued Mr. DeSantis.
Ms. Haley called President Trump’s immunity argument “absolutely ridiculous.”
“We need to use some common sense here,” she said. “You can’t go and kill a political rival and then claim, you know, immunity from a president. I think we have to start doing things that are right.”
“We don’t need this chaos anymore,” added Ms. Haley. “We need someone who’s going to be a new generational leader that brings sanity back to America.”
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Haley: ‘I Think January 6 Was a Terrible Day’
Ms. Haley disagrees with former President Trump about Jan. 6 and is concerned that he will carry out the 2020 election battle “forever.”
“He said that January 6 was a beautiful day. I think January 6 was a terrible day, and we should never want to see that happen again,” Ms. Haley said.
She called for fair elections and pointed out “some discrepancies” in the 2020 election “that should be concerning.”
Ms. Haley alluded to her state approving voter ID laws, adding that she believes when absentee ballots go out, “you should be able to verify signatures.”
“Trump lost and Biden won that election,” she said. “The idea that he’s gone and carried this out forever, to the point that he’s going to continue to say these things to scare the American people are wrong.”
In the end, Ms. Haley says she will always defend and fight for the Constitution.
“That’s what we should do as Americans,” she stated. “I think what happened on January 6 was a terrible day and I think President Trump will have to answer for it.”
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Haley, DeSantis Respond to Trump’s Abortion Stance
Ms. Haley demurred when asked about President Trump’s unclear stance on abortion.
“Don’t ask me what President Trump thinks you need to have him on this debate stage and ask him for yourself,” she said.
Mr. DeSantis slammed President Trump for objecting to 6-week abortion ban in Iowa enacted by GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds. Mr. DeSantis enacted such a ban as Florida’s governor.
“That’s using the language of the left,” he said.
Ms. Haley, who is pro-life, reiterated her stance about the issue of abortion being demonized and that it should be “respectful.” She called out her own home state that there is pending legislation that would put a woman in jail for having an abortion. She has called for making contraceptive accessible and that doctors should not be forced to perform abortions if they do not believe in the practice.
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DeSantis Calls for 28th Amendment
Mr. DeSantis proposed a “28th Amendment” to the Constitution that says, “Congress shall make no law respecting the citizens of the United States that does not also apply to members of Congress themselves.”
He cited members of Congress “making a killing in the stock market,” alluding to Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who “could run a very lucrative hedge fund.”
As a result of Congress spending Social Security’s massive surpluses, Mr. DeSantis proposed various ways to fix Washington.
He recommended term limits for members of Congress, a balanced budget amendment, and giving the president a line item veto.
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Trump Clarifies His Comments About ‘Retribution’
President Donald Trump responded during his town hall with Fox News to questions on whether his second term would be more about “retribution” than policy.
“There are questions about how much a second term of a Donald Trump presidency second term would be about retribution and looking backwards and grievances and how much would be looking forward,” Fox News anchor Brett Baier said.
President Trump quickly replied, “I’m not going to have time for retribution. We’re going to make this country so successful again, I’m not gonna have time for retribution.
“And remember this,” he added. “Our ultimate retribution is success.”
“There won’t be retribution,” President Trump reiterated. “There’ll be success.”
President Trump instead emphasized the policy successes of his first term, blaming the economic downturn that came about in the latter half of his presidency on COVID-19.
But as he has often done, President Trump insisted that his second term would focus heavily on restoring the economy by fixing energy policy and addressing inflation.
President Trump also disregarded the notion that he would act as a “dictator” during his second term in office.
“I am not going to be a dictator. I am going to manage like we did,” President Trump said.
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Haley: “You’re Just So Desperate”
While the candidates were discussing social security policy, the debate turned personal.
“That’s not true. That’s such a lie, Ron,” Ms. Haley said.
“That is wrong you’ve supported all that money going over there,” Mr. DeSantis said referring to Ukraine.
“You’re so desperate, you’re just so desperate,” Ms. Haley said.
Mr. DeSantis made a direct attack on Haley, saying that the former South Carolina governor cannot handle the pressure of the Oval Office.
“Part of the problem with her candidacy is now that she is getting scrutiny she’s got this problem with ballistic podiatry—Shooting herself in the foot every other day saying things. Now she doesn’t even take questions from people.”
Haley grimaced.
“He can call me whatever name and be demeaning as much as he wants it doesn’t change the fact that Ron’s lying because Ron’s losing,” Ms. Haley said. “Everybody in the country sees it for what it is.”
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Trump Fields Tough Question on Abortion
President Trump clarified his stance on abortion, in response to a question from a pro-life voter who said that the issue was the most important for her.
In his past campaigns, President Trump presented himself as strongly pro-life, pushing for the end of Roe v. Wade and strongly criticizing abortion.
The voter pointed out that recently President Trump has spoken out against some of the strictest anti-abortion statutes. Trump has said that these statutes are politically unpopular and bad for the Republican Party. Specifically, President Trump has criticized some bills that effectively ban abortion at six weeks.
President Trump called the overturn of Roe v. Wade “a miracle,” but said Republicans need to be mindful of the effects of strict abortion policies on the GOP’s electoral success.
He explained that he’s opposed to abortion, but maintained his opposition to so-called “heartbeat bills,” which ban abortion once a heartbeat is detectable.
“A lot of people … talk five or six weeks, a lot of women don’t know if they’re pregnant in five or six weeks,” he said.
He also said he’s in favor of the most commonly-cited exceptions—the health or life of the mother, cases of incest, and instances of rape.
“But I will say this,” he added. “You have to win elections. Otherwise, you’re going to be back where you were, and you can’t let that ever happen again. You got to win elections.”
President Trump added, “I want to get something when people are happy. This has been tearing our country apart for 50 years.”
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DeSantis Vows to be Tough on China
Mr. DeSantis wants to stop relying too much on China by being strategic and methodical and focusing “on the things that are of national significant.”
He cited pharmaceuticals, military, and weaponry as “important things” that the U.S. should not depend on Beijing in the event of a worldwide conflict.
“You got to be smart about it,” Mr. DeSantis said.
Mr. DeSantis thinks the U.S. can decouple from China by “being smart about it” and will have to use tax and regulatory incentives.
“I want to make things here again,” Mr. DeSantis stated.
“We were sold a bill of goods by a lot of elites in this country by somehow putting China in the WTO [World Trade Organization] and granting a most favored nation status that was going to lead to our manufacturing exporting a bunch of stuff there. Instead, they gobbled up so much more manufacturing.”
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Haley, DeSantis Clash on Education
Ms. Haley called for education to be state-centric including for school choice to be determined on the state level. Ms. Haley noted she tried to get school choice enacted when she was governor of South Carolina but the GOP state legislature blocked it.
Mr. DeSantis touted enacting school choice in Florida and taking on teacher’s unions.
Mr. DeSantis repeatedly blasted Ms. Haley for not getting school choice through to which she fired back and asked Mr. DeSantis how he can lead the country when his campaign has been losing money.
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DeSantis: Haley Supports Woke Corporatism
Mr. DeSantis accused Ms. Haley of siding with Disney in his battle against the entertainment company and invited it to South Carolina despite being involved in “transing kids.”
This is part of her broader representation of the corporate element in the Republican Party, he noted.
She supported $900 million in subsidies to Boeing when she was governor of South Carolina, Mr. DeSantis said. When Ms. Haley left office, she took a seat on the company’s board and made millions of dollars, he added.
Ms. Haley then gave paid speeches to Wall Street interests and “didn’t publish what she said.”
“We don’t know what she promised them,” Mr. DeSantis said. “Now they’re the ones that are funding her campaign.”
“We need to stand up for the people and not bow down to woke corporations, and we know Nikki Haley will cave to the woke mob every single time.”
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DeSantis: Role of Government is to Protect Children
Mr. DeSantis defended his record as Florida governor that has included signing a parental rights in education law—which was blasted by Disney and the left.
“It is wrong to sexualize the curriculum,” he said, adding “this is something that’s important to us personally.”
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Haley Rips Biden Over Austin Going AWOL
Ms. Haley believes President Joe Biden has been slow to respond to the escalation in the Middle East, saying that “he’s been hiding in a corner, and he hasn’t dealt with it.”
“What bothers me is how does Biden not talk to his Secretary of Defense every single day, knowing that we have a war in Europe, a war in the Middle East, with strikes going on them?” Ms. Haley said.
The idea that the Secretary of Defense is not in constant contact with President Biden and his staff is “unforgivable,” she explained.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was admitted to the hospital on Jan. 1 and then transferred to the ICU related to complications following a December surgery.
The White House confirmed that Mr. Austin was being treated for prostate cancer on Jan. 9. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters that nobody in the administration “knew that Secretary Austin had prostate cancer until this morning.”
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Haley Attacks DeSantis for Campaigning with Rep. Massie
Ms. Haley called out Mr. DeSantis for campaigning with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who has voted against pro-Israel measures.
“It’s really rich that Ron is going to act like he suddenly cares for Israel. When he brought the person to Iowa with it’s the most anti-Israel Republican in the [country],” Ms. Haley said. “The person that went and voted against Israel’s right to exist in Congress, the person that voted with the squad against anti-semitism on college campuses.”
Mr. DeSantis dismissed the accusation as “cheap garbage.” In response, he touted his state’s status as what he called a haven for Orthodox Judaism and his executive action to help Americans flee Israel when war broke out. He also called out recent measures in Florida to protect religious expression.
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Israel-Hamas Conflict
Mr. DeSantis called on Israel to “finish the job” in destroying the terrorist group Hamas, which launched its latest attack on the Jewish state on Oct. 7, carrying out, as he noted, the greatest single-day massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.
Mr. DeSantis objected to the idea of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian state.
He would not say whether Israel should remove Palestinians from Gaza, though he said “there would be a lot of issues with that.”
Ms. Haley called Israel a “bright spot in a tough neighborhood” and the “sphere to defeating terrorism.” She also said that Israel has been for a two-state solution only for the Palestinians to reject it.
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‘I’ve Already Started to Like Christie Better,’ Trump Says
President Trump joked during his Fox News town hall that he’s “already started to like [Chris] Christie better.”
President Trump’s joke alluded to the former New Jersey governor’s decision to drop out of the race hours before President Trump’s town hall appearance.
“It’s clear to me tonight that there isn’t a path for me to win the nomination,” Christie told voters hours before President Trump’s comments. “Which is why I’m suspending my campaign for president of the United States.”
Mr. Christie’s campaign departure marked the electoral finish of a candidate who had made criticism of President Trump a key pillar of his campaign strategy.
President Trump made the comments in response to a question about who his 2024 running mate will be.
“What about any of the people you’ve run against, would you consider mending fences?” host Martha MacCallum asked
“Well, I’ve already started liking Christie better,” President Trump quipped in response.
“Christie for vice president?” she asked, laughing.
“I don’t see it, I don’t see it,” President Trump replied, also laughing.
He indicated as well that he already has an idea of who he’ll choose as his running mate should he take the nomination, as he seems poised to do according to current polling.
However, he refused to reveal the contenders tonight.
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Haley, DeSantis Clash on Ukraine
Ms. Haley reiterated no U.S. troops and cash for Ukraine amid its war with Russia, which invaded the eastern European country in February 2022.
Ms. Haley said that U.S. support for Ukraine would “prevent war” as Russia entering NATO territory would ignite a war as the United States is a member of the alliance. She reiterated her support for sending weaponry to Kyiv.
“If Russia wins, China wins,” she said. If Ukraine wins, she said, China will not invade Taiwan.
Mr. DeSantis lamented what he said is a lack of resources in combating China, which he called “the top threat.” He accused Ms. Haley of caring more about Ukraine than the southern border. Mr. DeSantis blasted what he called America’s “open-ended commitment” to Ukraine.
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You Can’t Just Build a Wall, Haley Says
Ms. Haley believes that the federal government needs to do more than build a wall to stop illegal immigration.
“You can’t just build a wall. You have to do more than build a wall,” she said. “It was having the wall and everything else.”
Mr. DeSantis accused his opponent of opposing the border wall in 2016 and ridiculed former President Donald Trump.
But she asserted that Mr. DeSantis is lying and “being desperate and throwing things on me.”
“My mom would always say, ‘If they don’t follow the laws to come into this country, they won’t follow the laws when they are in this country,'” Ms. Haley noted. “We’ve got to put an end to this.”
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DeSantis Blasts Brooklyn School for Housing Illegal Aliens
Mr. DeSantis blasted James Madison High in Brooklyn for housing illegal immigrants and therefore having students learn virtually.
He said this was “putting Americans last.”
“You’re putting these kids out of an education because you can’t control the border,” remarked Mr. DeSantis.
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DeSantis Calls For Ending Weaponization Of Government
Mr. DeSantis, when asked about a tax proposal he’s shopping, said the IRS is “weaponized against conservatives going back to the Obama administration.”
“No one’s been held accountable for that,” Mr. DeSantis said.
Mr. DeSantis went on to say similar behavior by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Department of Justice, and other federal agencies “ends the day I become the president of the United States.”
“There’s going to be a new sheriff in town,” Mr. DeSantis said. “We’re going to restore the constitutional accountability that our founding fathers envisioned.”
Referencing Iowa-specific issues, Mr. DeSantis spoke about the controversial U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Waters of the United States program.
“You have farmers who have the EPA coming on their farmland because there’s maybe a puddle there,” Mr. DeSantis said. “Give me a break.”
Mr. DeSantis changed the focus to his own work in Flordia. He said the Sunshine State has shrunk its government and he can do the same for the U.S. Florida, under his tenure, now has the lowest percentage of state government workers per capita and the lowest cost of state government.
“No wonder why we’re paying down debt while we’re cutting taxes for people,” Mr. DeSantis said. “That’s the way to do it.”
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DeSantis: ‘We Have a Spending Problem in This Country’
When asked if he would support a flat tax—a single income tax rate for every American—Mr. DeSantis conceded that he would only support it “if people are better off than they are now.”
“I want people paying less taxes actually,” he said.
The federal government generated the highest percentage of taxes from the economy since the Second World War, Mr. DeSantis noted.
“And yet, they’re going deep into debt,” he said. “We have a spending problem in this country. It’s not a tax problem in this country.”
He added that Florida enjoys the lowest percentage of state government workers per capita in the country and the cost of state government employees “is the lowest in the country.”
“No wonder why we’re paying down debt while we’re cutting taxes for people,” Mr. DeSantis said. “That’s the way to do it.”
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Haley and DeSantis on the Economy
Ms. Haley reiterated her economic agenda: have spending at pre-COVID levels, “clawing back $100 billion of unspent COVID dollars” and fire 87,000 IRS agents. She said she would reign in spending and eliminate earmarks, pet projects and the federal gas and diesel tax. She would also simplify tax brackets, cut taxes for the middle class and make the small business tax permanent.
Mr. DeSantis said, “We don’t need an accountant in the White House. We need a leader in the White House and that’s what I would bring.” He went on to say he would reduce spending and open up American energy production.
Ms. Haley also called out Mr. DeSantis for voting to lift the debt limit when he was a member of Congress.
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DeSantis Slams Haley on China
Mr. DeSantis targeted Ms. Haley on China, saying that her top achievement as governor of South Carolina was bringing China into her state.
“She wrote a love letter,” Mr. DeSantis said, adding that Ms. Haley is on video “saying China’s friend.”
“There’s a video of her on the website right in front of a Chinese flag saying that she works for them now,” he said.
Mr. DeSantis highlighted his record on grappling with China.
“I banned China from buying land in our state and we kicked them out of our university,” he said. “That’s what you need to be doing.”
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Haley Says She’s Not About Drama, Unlike Trump
Ms. Haley said the next president needs to have “moral clarity” to govern. Clarity is needed, she said, to understand the difference between spending taxpayers money and their own money, to deal with dictators and fight for democracy.
“When you look at Donald Trump, I have said I think he was the right president at the right time. I agree with a lot of his policies, but his way is not my way,” Ms. Haley said. “I don’t have vengeance. I don’t have vendettas I don’t take things personally.”
Ms. Haley said she does not take things personally, she doesn’t believe in drama or whining. Instead, her agenda is getting things done.
“I don’t think that President Trump is the right president to go forward,” Ms. Haley said. “I think it’s time for a new generational, a leader that is going to go and make America proud again, that’s what I’m going to try and do.”
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Debate Begins
The CNN debate opened with the question why Republicans should vote for each candidate over Trump.
Mr. DeSantis said he is running on policy for the people while President Trump is “running to pursue his issues” and that “Nikki Haley is running to pursue her donors’ issues.”
“I’m running to pursue your issues and your family’s issues,” he said. “And to turn this country around. I’m the only one running that’s delivered on 100% of the promises that I’ve made.”
Ms. Haley accused Mr. DeSantis of lying and losing donors and said his campaign is “exploding.” She even called on voters to go to a website featuring what she said is Mr. DeSantis’ lies.
From The Epoch Times
