Nikki Haley announced that she doesn’t intend to participate in the ABC News GOP presidential debate on Thursday unless former President Donald Trump is participating.
Haley, who finished in third place in the Iowa caucus yesterday — nearly 32 percentage points behind Trump — made the announcement on X, saying, “We’ve had five great debates in this campaign. Unfortunately, Donald Trump has ducked all of them. He has nowhere left to hide. The next debate I do will either be with Donald Trump or with Joe Biden. I look forward to it.”
Ron DeSantis responded on X and stated Haley is afraid to face him in the debate, saying, “Nikki Haley is afraid to debate because she doesn’t want to answer the tough questions such as how she got rich off Boeing after giving them millions in taxpayer handouts as governor of South Carolina.”
DeSantis continued by accusing her of running to be Trump’s Vice Presidential candidate, and said he would honor his commitment to New Hampshire voters and participate in the GOP presidential debate, saying, “I won’t snub New Hampshire voters like both Nikki Haley and Donald Trump, and plan to honor my commitments. I look forward to debating two empty podiums in the Granite State this week.”
Trump has not participated in any of the 2024 GOP presidential debates, citing his large lead: “But when you’re 40 points up …. Why would I let these people take shots at me?”
Trump has instead held competing rallies and town hall events, and at a rally stated the GOP presidential debates were a waste of time: “It’s time for the Republican establishment to stop wasting time and resources trying to push weak and ineffective RINOs and never-Trumpers that nobody wants and nobody is going to vote for.”
