Ron DeSantis Challenges Donald Trump to Debate Ahead of Iowa Caucus

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is urging former President Donald Trump to debate him ahead of the Iowa caucus, which takes place January 15, following former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley agreeing to appear in CNN’s Hawkeye State debate.

“If Donald Trump and Nikki Haley are going to continue to spend millions against me on television with false attacks, they should at least have the courage to meet on the debate stage,” DeSantis said in a Friday post on X.

“Now that Nikki Haley has been shamed into coming to the CNN debate, it’s time for Donald Trump to follow suit and join us,” DeSantis added:

If Donald Trump and Nikki Haley are going to continue to spend millions against me on television with false attacks, they should at least have the courage to meet on the debate stage.

Now that Nikki Haley has been shamed into coming to the CNN debate, it's time for Donald Trump… https://t.co/n1xUJpNIXv

— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) December 15, 2023

CNN announced last week that it would hold two Republican primary debates, which are not sanctioned by the Republican National Committee (RNC). Originally, this was not allowed, as the RNC had GOP primary candidates sign a pledge, promising not to participate in non-sanctioned RNC debates.

However, the RNC has since announced that it will not participate in any other debates and therefore released candidates from that pledge.

“It is now time for Republican primary voters to decide who will be our next President and candidates are free to use any forum or format to communicate to voters as they see fit,” an official statement from the RNC reads.

“The first four debates have been great for our campaign and for voters, and we look forward to the fifth in Iowa,” Haley said, urging Trump — whom she once said she would not run against — to participate.

“As the debate stage continues to shrink, it’s getting harder for Donald Trump to hide,” she added.

It remains unclear why either candidate believes another debate will assist them in boosting their momentum, as none of the four RNC debates significantly improved their standing against Trump, the runaway frontrunner, who continues to lead the GOP field by double digits. Further, a recent Iowa State University/Civiqs survey put another nail in the coffin of his challengers’ presidential hopes ahead of the Iowa caucus, showing Trump with 54 percent support in the Hawkeye State.

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The CNN debate is set take place January 10, five days ahead of the caucuses.