MONKS — The candidates Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley faced each other in the final debate of the Republican Party on Wednesday night in Des Moines, Iowa, amid mutual accusations.
It was the last debate before the start of voting in the United States Republican presidential primaries, seeking to present himself as the best alternative to the favorite, Donald Trump.
The face-off took place just a couple of days before the first and decisive nomination contest in Iowa, considered crucial to narrowing the field of candidates and giving those left standing a springboard for the rest of the race.
DeSantis and Haley are vying for second place behind former President Donald Trump, who did not attend the event and made an appearance on Fox News at the same time.
Trump enjoys an overwhelming advantage despite the multiple legal accusations against him, but he has refused to participate in the televised debates because he believes that he has nothing to gain from facing less popular rivals in prime time.
The wall and zero authorization for undocumented immigrants
The issue of immigration was not absent in the fifth Republican debate. Florida’s governor said he will build the border wall with Mexico that former President Trump “promised and failed to deliver.” And he added that Trump “deported fewer irregular immigrants than Obama.”
DeSantis said that if elected president he would not grant legal status to the 13 million undocumented immigrants who, according to pro-immigrant groups, reside illegally in the United States, and that he has a plan to send them to areas “friendly” to irregular immigration.
“We need to build the wall,” DeSantis said.
On the subject, candidate Haley said that it is not just about building a wall on the border because in her opinion the immigration problem requires addressing other aspects such as security and the reinforcement of the Law.
Mutual accusations
DeSantis accused Haley of caring “more about the Ukraine border than our own southern border.” And he went further to tell her that he is “a copy” of Joe Biden by giving money to Ukraine.
The former U.N. ambassador said U.S. support is important to ensure that Russian President Vladimir Putin does not attack other countries.
What both candidates agree on is the issue of Israel. “We must ensure that Israel has the support it needs to do the job of eliminating Hamas,” Haley said.
“All attention”
In recent months, the candidates have toured the state of Iowa, where the Republican primaries will begin on January 15, to talk about immigration, the economy or abortion.
But the polls predict a clear outcome. According to polls compiled by RealClearPolitics, Donald Trump has a voting intention of 62.7%, while his two main rivals, Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis, obtain 11 and 10.9% respectively.
On the national scene, Trump has more than 50 percentage points ahead of them.
“The fact that the leading candidate has been indicted multiple times and could be disqualified makes the Republican campaign incredibly volatile and unpredictable,” said Julian Zelizer, a political scientist at Princeton University.
How to get a little attention when television stations around the world are watching the comings and goings of the former president in court?
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie abandoned the race for the Republican nomination for president of the United States this Friday, depriving the race of former President Donald Trump’s main critic, the great favorite.
The program was moderated by CNN journalists Dana Bash and Jake Tapper.
Source: With information from AFP and Editorial
