Ron DeSantis is still trying to troll Nikki Haley into a debate where the moderator likely would favor him, though he’s not framing it quite that way.
During a Monday interview on “The Ingraham Angle,” the 2024 presidential candidate said Haley “probably wouldn’t like what the debate would be about,” pointing to various “establishment-oriented positions” she has taken.
DeSantis cited her belief in a social media registry, contended she believes there should be “no limits” on immigration, and what he described as a pro-Walt Disney Company over Florida stance as examples of her being “fundamentally out of step with Republican voters.”
“I think she’s relying on liberal media to prop her up,” DeSantis said. “But I’m game for the debate.”
The Governor’s delayed response came a week and a half after Haley shot down the Laura Ingraham call for Haley and DeSantis to debate on her program, during a pre-Thanksgiving hit on the “Guy Benson Show.”
“See you in Tuscaloosa,” Haley said, telling Benson that the Republican National Committee said that the only debates candidates could have would have to be officially sanctioned by the party, with the fourth such showdown slated for Alabama in December.
DeSantis and Haley have shared debate stages three times and appeared together a fourth time at a forum hosted by DeSantis endorser Bob Vander Plaats earlier this month. The Governor has struggled with Haley during each of those events.
It’s uncertain why Haley would have agreed to a debate on likely unfriendly terrain, given that the Fox News host accused the former South Carolina Governor of “political suicide” after she got praise from the center after her performance in the presidential debate in Miami.
“There’s no future in the Republican Party for someone who’s been endorsed by POLITICO and The New York Times,” Ingraham pronounced, as transcribed by Media Matters.
Conversely, Ingraham lauded DeSantis, saying he emerged “strongest” from the debate and was the only candidate with a “presidential” mien.
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