Name: DeSantis, Haley to Debate; Trump to Participate in Town Hall Tonight
Uploaded: 2024-01-11T06:03:25.000Z
Description: DES MOINES, Iowa—Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley will square off Jan. 10 in the fifth and final Republican presidential debate before the Iowa caucuses.

NTD Newsroom comprises teams of reporters, editors, and producers assigned to cover breaking news and other stories.


NTD Newsroom

NTD Plus

News

News you can trust from the U.S. and around the world. Critical information and insight. We cover the stories that others don’t. NTD News Today airs Monday–Friday at 11 a.m. ET.

NTD News Today

Pentagon Scraps Deployment of 4,000 Troops to Poland

9/11 Memorial and Museum Adds 7th Moment of Silence

AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon Launch Joint Venture to Tackle Dead Zones

Stefania Cox is an NTD News anchor and national correspondent based at the network's global headquarters in New York City. Stefania anchors "NTD Newsroom," and co-anchors "NTD News Today" weekdays at 10:00 am ET.

Stefania Cox

Trump Committed to US Defense, Prosperity, Amid China Talks: Expert

Jerome Powell Ends Tenure as Fed Chair

US Government Sues Chick-fil-A Over Religious Rights

Melina Wisecup is NTD's congressional correspondent based in Washington, covering Capitol Hill and campaign politics.

Melina Wisecup

California Gubernatorial Candidates Make Closing Pitches to Voters 

Jason Blair is a national correspondent for NTD News based in California. 

Jason Blair

Federal Judge Partly Blocks Texas Immigration Law

Trump Announces National Garden of American Heroes Plans

Top Officer: Navy Funding Could Lapse by July

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 15)

Paul Greaney is an NTD news anchor and producer. Since joining the company in 2018, he has anchored the station’s flagship Evening News broadcast, launched the NTD Business show, and produced documentary reports on pointed issues. 

The highlight of Paul’s time in the field was his coverage of the Hong Kong pro-democracy protests in 2019.

Paul Greaney

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 14)

Kevin Hogan is an NTD News data reporter and national correspondent based at the network's global headquarters in New York City. Kevin covers breaking news, as well as U.S. and global current events. He conveys the news through data visualizations and investigates pressing issues.

Kevin Hogan

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 13)

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 12)

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 11)

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 8)

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 7)

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 6)

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 5)

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (May 4)

Fast, compelling, first-hand news from China. China in Focus airs Monday–Friday at 8 p.m. ET.

China in Focus

China Sends Warships to Pacific Drill as Tensions With Japan Rise

Reuters is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages.

Reuters

We present news that is truthful and based on facts, outside of the political fog. Instead of focusing on the negative things happening around us, our mission is to give our viewers a good morning with empathetic and uplifting stories. Our aim is to provide an antidote to negativity by shining a light on the best side of people. We speak to inspiring people who positively impact communities, pursue topics that represent our common human values, and will never miss an opportunity to bring you heartwarming stories.

NTD Good Morning

2 US Embassy Personnel Assigned to Cartel Case Killed in Car Accident

The Associated Press is an American not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. 

The Associated Press

US News

Gunman Kills 8 Children, Including 7 of His Own, in Louisiana Mass Shooting

Flora Hua is a reporter based at NTD's global headquarters in New York City, where she covers China news, U.S.-China relations, and human rights issues. Flora primarily contributes to NTD's "China in Focus."  

Flora Hua

Trump: Seized Iranian Ship May Have ‘A Gift From China’

Joseph Lord is a congressional reporter for The Epoch Times.


Joseph Lord

Aldgra Fredly is a freelance writer covering U.S. and Asia Pacific news for The Epoch Times.

Aldgra Fredly

Former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani Hospitalized in Critical Condition: Spokesman

Wildfires Across Georgia and Florida Have Destroyed Nearly 50 Homes and Are Forcing Evacuations

US Warns of China Hacks via Routers, Smart Devices

Juliet Song is an international correspondent exclusively covering China news for NTD. She primarily contributes to NTD's "China in Focus," covering U.S.-China relations, the Chinese regime's human rights abuses, and domestic unrest inside China.

Juliet Song

2 Americans Among Suspected Communist Rebels Killed in Clashes With Troops, Philippine Officials Say

Ryan Morgan is a reporter for The Epoch Times focusing on military and foreign affairs. He was previously a news writer for NTD. 


Ryan Morgan

Mari Otsu is NTD's White House correspondent based in Washington. 

Mari Otsu

World News

Middle East

Iran

3 US Warships Fend Off Iranian Attacks, Trump Says Ceasefire Still Holds

Health News

3 Dead in Suspected Hantavirus Outbreak on Cruise Ship in Atlantic Ocean: WHO

DES MOINES, Iowa—Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley will square off Jan. 10 in the fifth and final Republican presidential debate before the Iowa caucuses.

Former President Donald Trump, who holds a commanding lead in polls of likely Iowa caucusgoers, will again skip the debate to hold an event of his own.

The stakes are high for both debate participants in this debate, coming just five days before the caucuses.

The DeSantis campaign has struggled to regain momentum after sagging in the polls last summer. Some analysts have said the Florida governor must win in Iowa or, at the very least, significantly close the gap between himself and President Trump to remain viable in the race.

President Trump currently leads Mr. DeSantis by 34 percentage points in an average of recent polls reported by FiveThirtyEight. Ms. Haley is just 1 percentage point behind Mr. DeSantis.

A strong showing by Ms. Haley would add to her surging momentum ahead of the New Hampshire primary on Jan. 23, where Ms. Haley is polling within single digits of President Trump.

Here’s what we’ll be looking for on the debate stage.
<h2>America First Versus Peace Through Strength</h2>
Mr. DeSantis and Ms. Haley hold similar views on a number of issues. Both are pro-life. Both want to halt illegal immigration at the southern border. Both are pro-Second Amendment.

They differ significantly on the role of the United States on the world stage. That difference was displayed at their back-to-back town hall meetings in Iowa on Jan. 4.

Asked whether he would send further arms to Ukraine in order to win back territory lost to Russia or would cede the ground to make peace, Mr. DeSantis listed tenets of an America First strategy.

“What are our top national security issues? I would say the top in this country are the border and China,” Mr. DeSantis said. He went on to say that his priority would be to end the Ukraine conflict quickly and that European countries should bear the primary burden of arming Ukraine.

“Our interest in this is to not have larger conflicts,” Mr. DeSantis said, adding that “some of the people always want to get us in deeper, and in these conflicts, you run the risk of an escalation.”

Ms. Haley, when asked about Ukraine, offered a detailed explanation for why the defense of Ukraine is a vital interest of America. “Terrorists, dictators, and thugs always tell you what they’re going to do. They’re amazingly transparent,” Ms. Haley said. “Russia said once they take Ukraine, Poland and the Baltics are next. Those are NATO countries, and that puts America at war. This is about preventing war.”

On policy issues, this is likely to be a point of contention on the debate stage.
<h2>Ready for Prime Time?</h2>
Both candidates are likely to position themselves as capable executives who are ready to lead while diminishing their opponent.

Mr. DeSantis has called attention to recent gaffes by Ms. Haley on the campaign trail, including her mishandling of a question on the cause of the Civil War and a remark that seemed to indicate New Hampshire voters were more astute than Iowans.

Ms. Haley has offered corrections to both remarks.

Mr. DeSantis is likely to continue his attacks against Ms. Haley.

“I’m just thinking to myself, you know, she’s phony. You know, she doesn’t have a core set of convictions,” Mr. DeSantis said in a Jan. 4 interview with NBC News and the Des Moines Register.

For her part, Ms. Haley has criticized Mr. DeSantis for appearing to be insincere in his pledges of support for Israel.

After Mr. DeSantis appeared in December at a campaign event with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), the only House Republican to vote against a resolution condemning anti-Semitism, Ms. Haley lashed out at a campaign event in Des Moines.

“You can’t be pro-Israel and bring the most anti-Israel Republican into this state, who voted against fighting anti-Semitism on college campuses,” Ms. Haley said on Dec. 17.

Attacks by the candidates on each other at this debate are likely to be more civil than in previous debates, where the multicandidate format often degenerated into a free-for-all.
<h2>The Case Against Trump</h2>
President Trump was mentioned very little in previous debates, except by former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. That’s likely to change on Jan. 10.

Both Mr. DeSantis and Ms. Haley have upped their criticisms of the former president, beginning to present themselves as the viable alternative to a second Trump administration.

Mr. DeSantis is likely to amplify his message that he is capable of producing results, compared with President Trump, who Mr. DeSantis says failed to deliver on promises.

Speaking of President Trump’s promise to take executive action to end birthright citizenship for illegal immigrants, Mr. DeSantis noted that he had the opportunity to do that while in office but chose not to. “I think the fact that he’s campaigning on something does not mean that he would actually follow through on it,” Mr. DeSantis said.

Regarding abortion, Mr. DeSantis said, “Donald Trump has said that pro-life protections, even at the state level, are a, quote, ‘a terrible thing,'” speaking of comments the former president made about the six-week abortion ban enacted in Florida. “He has flip-flopped on this issue.”

Mr. DeSantis will likely make the case that conservatives need a two-term president, noting that Mr. Trump is now limited to one more term.

Ms. Haley’s line of attack has been less direct but no less biting.

“I agree with a lot of his policies,” Ms. Haley said about President Trump. “But the reality is, rightly or wrongly, chaos follows him. And we can’t have a country in disarray and a world on fire and go through four more years of chaos. We won’t survive it.”

Both candidates are expected to make the case that the country needs to move on from President Trump, whose legal issues and personal feuds would dominate both the upcoming campaign and the four years of his second administration.
<h2>Trump Takes a Stage</h2>
President Trump has bypassed the four previous debates in favor of his own programming. But Jan. 10 will mark the first time he has scheduled a rival appearance in the same city at the same time.

The DeSantis-Haley debate will be televised by CNN and moderated by anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash.

President Trump will simultaneously appear in a town hall forum televised by Fox News and hosted by Fox News anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum.

In recent town halls that Fox News held with President Trump, commentator Sean Hannity dominated the questioning, with few, if any, queries coming from the audience. Attendees have applauded vigorously and cheered loudly for the former president at these events.

Mr. Baier, in a post on X, hinted that this forum may be different. He said questions would come from the moderators and from “citizens in the crowd—who will be a mix of Iowa voters,” possibly suggesting that some questioners may not be fans of the former president.

Both events begin at 9 p.m. Eastern time.

<em>From <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/heres-what-to-watch-for-in-desantis-haley-debate-and-trump-town-hall-tonight-5549151">The Epoch Times</a></em>

Latest

trump

Videos

Politics

04_Top Stories

iowa

Premium Picks

Latest Clips

DeSantis

Town Hall

Management

Janice Hisle reports on former President Donald Trump's campaign for the 2024 general election ballot and related issues. Before joining The Epoch Times, she worked for more than two decades as a reporter for newspapers in Ohio and authored several books. She is a graduate of Kent State University's journalism program. You can reach Janice at: janice.hisle@epochtimes.us

Janice Hisle

Iris Tao is NTD's White House correspondent based in Washington. Prior to her work at the White House, Iris reported on U.S. politics and U.S.–China relations from NTD’s New York headquarters. She holds degrees in journalism and economics from Boston University.

Iris Tao

2024 Elections

02_Second Lead

Lawrence Wilson covers politics for The Epoch Times.

Lawrence Wilson

Haley

Donald Trump

Latest and breaking news, documentaries, movies, and lifestyle content on NTD+.
 
Empower your knowledge and elevate your spirit with NTD+, your go-to destination for truthful news, insightful documentaries, and captivating lifestyle content that enriches your life.