Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley squared off in the first one-on-one 2024 Republican presidential debate Wednesday night.
The duo exchanged many attacks against each other, and they were the only two candidates on the stage. With the absence of former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), Republican frontrunner Donald Trump was largely left out of the debate as a topic of discussion, and most attacks were focused against the opponents on stage.
Here are some of the biggest zingers from the debate.
DeSantis: “[Haley] may be even more liberal than Gavin Newsom is.”
Referencing his recent debate against Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), DeSantis attacked Haley’s conservative credentials, suggesting she may be politically to the left of the California governor.
“I debated the governor of California, Gavin Newsom,” DeSantis said. “You know, I thought he lied a lot, but man, Nikki Haley gives him a run for his money, and she may even be more liberal than Gavin Newsom is.”
DeSantis: “You won’t be able to find her if you had a search warrant.”
DeSantis centered many of his answers around attacks against Haley — one of which attacked her ability to lead.
“You need somebody who is going to be in there and fight for you,” DeSantis said. “And Nikki Haley, any time the going gets tough, any time people come down, she caves. When you need someone standing and fighting for you, don’t look for Nikki Haley. You won’t be able to find her if you had a search warrant.”
Haley: “You just can’t trust what he says.”
One of the main themes of Haley’s answers was accusing DeSantis of lying. In numerous answers, she plugged a website her campaign created, desantislies.com, which she claims categorizes all the fibs the Florida governor has told.
“You just can’t trust what he says,” she said. “Why did he promise he’d never raise the debt limit, and he turned around and he raised it.”
Haley: “I think I touched a nerve.”
Haley brought attention to the perilous state of DeSantis’s campaign, deriding his administrative skills and referencing his relatively low poll numbers in comparison to his massive campaign war chest. In response, DeSantis became visibly irritated and issued a lengthy response, a fact that Haley quickly took advantage of.
“I think I touched a nerve,” she quipped.
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DeSantis: “She has a problem with ballistic podiatry.”
DeSantis thought of an unusual way to claim Haley was shooting herself in the foot, providing a seemingly medical diagnosis.
“She has a problem with ballistic podiatry, shooting herself in the foot,” he said. The remark was met with laughter from the crowd.
