US GOP debate: Key highlights from Haley-DeSantis faceoff

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley went head-to-head in the final Republican debate before the Iowa caucuses, presenting their closing arguments to a national audience. Here are the top highlights:

DeSantis and Haley Clash on Truthfulness:

Both candidates wasted no time trading barbs, accusing each other of dishonesty and misrepresentation.

DeSantis criticized Haley, labeling her a "mealy-mouthed politician," while Haley countered, alleging DeSantis's campaign is full of lies.

DeSantis Challenges Haley on Immigration:

DeSantis put Haley on the defensive regarding her stance on immigration, citing her past comments and accusing her of opposing the border wall.

Haley clarified her position, emphasizing the need for comprehensive immigration solutions.

DeSantis and Haley on Israel Policy Differences:

The candidates disagreed on Israel, with DeSantis criticizing the Biden administration's approach and Haley emphasizing the importance of supporting Israel.

Haley took a swipe at DeSantis for campaigning with a congressman she labeled "anti-Israel."

Haley Attacks DeSantis's Campaign Spending:

Nikki Haley criticized DeSantis's campaign spending, questioning his ability to lead effectively and manage finances.

DeSantis defended his leadership, dismissing Haley's focus on campaign processes as irrelevant to voters.

Social Security Sparks Heated Exchange:

Tensions escalated when the candidates sparred over Social Security, with DeSantis pledging not to raise the retirement age and Haley advocating for changes to secure the program's future.

Personal attacks were exchanged, with DeSantis accusing Haley of self-sabotage and Haley asserting DeSantis was lying due to his declining popularity.

Skepticism on Trump's Presidential Immunity Claim:

Both DeSantis and Haley expressed skepticism about former President Trump's claim of presidential immunity in his federal criminal case.

DeSantis predicted the courts would reject Trump's immunity claim, while Haley criticized the argument, calling for common sense.

Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley has derided former President Donald Trump's lawyer in his presidential immunity court hearing this week.

"No, that's ridiculous. That's absolutely ridiculous." Haley 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."

Nikki Haley blasted President Biden for being in the dark about the whereabouts of Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. “What bothers me is how does Biden not talk to his Secretary of Defense every single day?” she said.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis promised to decouple the United States from China’s economy to punish the latter country for its policies. The US and China are the first- and second-largest economies in the world. And given that China is the one of the biggest US trading partners, separating the two economies could spell pain for many Americans. In particular, it could make goods cost more if they’re solely produced in the US.

DeSantis touts his pro-family tax policy during the debate, "In Florida, we eliminated all sales tax on every baby item, diapers, wipes, strollers, cribs." He lamented "the breakdown in the American family. We need to make it easier for people to raise children in this family.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has vowed that he would get rid of the Department of Education and a nationalized curriculum to “get that weight off the backs of state and local governments.”

"I don't want a nationalized curriculum. I think that's a bottom-up thing," he said. A nationalized curriculum is a standard that is set about what kids in different grades should be learning that applies to schools across the country.

While his GOP rivals battle it out in the CNN debate, former President Donald Trump participated in a Fox News town hall on Wednesday night.

Trump reacted to Christie being caught on a hot mic before announcing he was dropping out, saying “she's gonna get smoked” and that “she’s not up to this," apparently referring to Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley.

“I thought actually the biggest story wasn't the fact that he dropped out, nobody cared too much about that, but he had a hot mic where he was talking to somebody about the weather and he happened to say she doesn't have what it takes, she'll be creamed in the, in the election. And I mean, I know her very well and happen to believe that Chris Christie is right. That’s one of the few things he’s been right about, actually," Trump said.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said that he would not allow the US to grant amnesty to undocumented people in the country. "The number of people that will be amnestied when I'm president is zero," DeSantis stated. "We cannot do an amnesty in this country."

He went on to say that granting amnesty "is going to cause more people to want to come illegally."

In the first half of tonight's debate, Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley have both clocked in 22 minutes of speaking time.

Vivek Ramaswamy will be airing an add during the debate, urging viewers to “turn this s--- off” after the network snubbed him. He alleged that the network rigged the final televised showdown before the Iowa caucuses.

"The mainstream media is trying to rig the Iowa GOP caucus in favor of the corporate candidates who they can control. Don't fall for their trick," Ramaswamy tells voters in the ad. "They don't want you to hear from me about the truth of what really happened on January 6, the truth about the COVID origin, the Hunter Biden laptop story, and everything else they have lied to you about."

"So you can fix that. Take your remote and turn this s--- off," he adds, and then aims his remote at the camera as the screen blacks out.

Ron DeSantis criticised New York City for housing migrants in a Brooklyn school. "Talk about putting Americans last," he said. "Putting these kids out of an education because you can't control the border."

“Do not trust Nikki Haley with immigration. That's like having the fox guard the henhouse,” he continued.

DeSantis added, "You need a wall. You can't trust politicians to do this. If the wall's there, it's a physical fact of life and it's a huge step."

When Dana Bash asked Ron DeSantis whether his flat tax plan would require “working families [to] pay the same tax rate that billionaires are,” he appeared to stumble. "I would only do it if people are better off than they are now," the Florida governor said "We have a spending problem in this country. It's not a tax problem."

As the final debate kicked off, Ron DeSantis took a dig at Nikki Haley, saying she is running to pursue “her donor’s issues." “We don't need a candidate who is going to look down on middle America. We've had enough of that," he said. He also said of Haley that America doesn’t “need another mealy-mouth politician."

Haley said, “Rather than have him go and tell you all these lies, you can go to DeSantisLies.com, and look at all those... there's at least two dozen lies that he has told about me, and you can see where fact-checkers say exactly what's going to happen.” She later added that DeSantis' campaign is "exploding."

Of DeSantis' “donor” comment, Haley said that "he is only mad about the donors because the donors used to be with him, but they're no longer with him now."

The GOP debate has finally begun less than a week before the Iowa caucuses. Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis are the only two Republican presidential candidates facing off in the event.

Shortly before dropping out of the 2024 Republican presidential race on Wednesday, January 10, Chris Christie was heard blasting Nikki Haley as “not up to this” and saying Ron DeSantis as “petrified” in a hot mic conversation. New York Post heard him on a video feed, saying of Haley, “She’s spent $68 million so far just on TV,” and later adding that DeSantis had spent “$59 million … and we’ve spent 12."

“Who’s punching above their weight and who’s getting a return on their investment?” Christie said. “You know? And she’s going to get smoked. And you and I both know it, she’s not up to this.” He added that “DeSantis called me petrified that I would,” possibly referring to leaving the race. “He’s probably getting out after Iowa,” another person is heard saying.

After Chris Christie dropped out of the race, Vivek Ramasway posted a video of himself on X, captioning it, "Here’s the plot:

1. Narrow this to a 2-horse race between Trump & a puppet they can control.

2. Eliminate Trump.

3. Trot their puppet into the White House.

Prediction: next up, Ron DeSantis joins Nikki Haley’s ticket as VP. Ron may not know it yet, but he won’t have a say in the matter."

"The system wants to narrow this down to a two horse race between Donald Trump and a puppet who they can control," he says in the video. "It has become increasingly clear that puppet is not a Democrat. It's not even Gavin Newsom. It's Nikki Haley."

“Our movement cannot end with Donald Trump when they take him out from contention. And if you think this system is gonna even let this man get anywhere near the White House, we need to open our eyes,” he adds. "Do not fall into the trap people."

Shortly after dropping out, Chris Christie wrote on X, “I promise you this: I will make sure that in no way do I enable Donald Trump to ever be President of the United States again. That’s more important than my own personal ambition.”

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie dropped out of the 2024 Republican presidential race on Wednesday, January 10, hours before the final GOP debate. This comes shortly after he was seen blasting Nikki Haley as “not up to this” and saying Ron DeSantis as “petrified.” Christie, 61, announced the suspension of his campaign at a town hall in Windham, New Hampshire.