Haley and DeSantis Debate in Iowa; Trump Did Not Attend Republican Candidates' Program

The fifth debate for the Republican nomination in the 2024 U.S. presidential election took place on Wednesday, January 10, in Iowa. In this debate, two of the top three Republican candidates, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, participated. Former President Donald Trump, the leading candidate for the Republican nomination, did not attend the event. During the two-hour debate, DeSantis and Haley criticized each other's programs for most of the time, while rarely criticizing Trump. When asked if she thinks Trump has the character necessary to run the country, Haley avoided a direct answer and stated that the next president should be 'transparent' morally. Haley, a former governor of South Carolina, firmly stated regarding the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, which Trump denies, that 'Trump lost and Biden won.' DeSantis criticized Haley for agreeing to send money to support Ukrainians, calling it a 'UN mindset' and an 'approach that suggests the U.S. has unlimited financial resources.' According to reports, Haley distances herself from the growing Republican resistance to aid for Ukraine and supports providing equipment and weapons to the country. She predicts that if Russia wins, the next front will be 'Poland,' which would put 'America at risk.' However, Haley opposed sending money to any foreign country due to the inability to track it. DeSantis also commented on the war between Israel and Hamas, stating, 'Hamas wants a second Holocaust, so America must support Israel.' He added that he does not support a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians. Meanwhile, Haley also stated her support for Israel. Neither candidate supports attacking targets inside Iran to prevent the escalation of the war between Israel and Hamas, but Haley mentioned that she would eliminate productions that allow the Islamic Republic to attack American forces in Iraq and Syria. DeSantis discussed the need to decouple the U.S. economy from China, especially in pharmaceuticals and weapons, by offering tax and regulatory incentives to American companies. Regarding illegal immigrants, Haley supported cutting funding for so-called 'sanctuary' cities. At the same time, she called for hiring 25,000 agents for border control and other sectors, stating that she would change 'catch and release' of illegal immigrants to 'catch and deport.' Meanwhile, DeSantis wants to impose financial costs on remittances to foreign countries to fund the construction and completion of the border wall. Neither candidate has a plan to pardon over 10 million illegal immigrants residing in the U.S. DeSantis proposed eliminating their benefits to deter illegal immigrants from entering the U.S. Haley also stated that she would deport illegal immigrants. During the two-hour debate, DeSantis attacked Haley multiple times for changing her position on important issues, prompting Haley to refer audiences to a website listing what she called DeSantis's lies. Donald Trump, facing four indictments with 91 criminal charges, leads in Iowa polls by 30 to 40 points over his two rivals. Like the previous four debates, he opted out of a direct confrontation with his rivals in the debate aired by CNN, speaking instead at a nearby location on Fox News. Trump stated that if he becomes the Republican nominee, he knows who his vice president will be but refrained from naming the person. He responded to a question from an audience member about how he would keep America out of foreign wars, saying that if he were in the White House, the Ukraine war or the attack on Israel would never have happened, adding that he would establish 'peace through strength.' Trump remarked, 'They see our weak president and have done the unimaginable.' The Iowa campaign events took place as Chris Christie, a Republican candidate for the 2024 presidential election and former governor of New Jersey, ended his candidacy. He, having become one of Trump's outspoken critics, stated that he sees no path to the Republican nomination and is suspending his campaign activities. Experts predict that Christie's exit from the race will benefit Haley in Iowa and New Hampshire. Christie has not yet endorsed any candidate.