Haley and DeSantis come out swinging in GOP debate
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Donald Trump’s town hall with Fox News beat the GOP debate between Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley in the ratings war, it has been revealed.
Nielsen ratings released on Thursday found that around 4.4 million people tuned in to watch the former president’s town hall – almost double the 2.6 million who watched his two Republican rivals on CNN.
In the debate, neither candidate attacked Mr Trump especially hard, though Mr DeSantis accused him of “massive gaslighting” over his Covid-19 response during an interview on Thursday.
Vivek Ramaswamy and Chris Christie failed to meet the criteria to join the debate and Mr Christie dropped out of the race hours before it got under way.
With the 2024 Iowa caucuses looming, Republican Party candidates for president are making their final pitches to voters across the state.
While former president Donald Trump holds a substantial polling lead, Florida governor Ron DeSantis and former UN ambassador and South Carolina governor Nikki Haley are fighting hard for second place in the hope it will give them the boost they need ahead of the New Hampshire primary.
Key points
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DeSantis’ directive on Tuesday piggybacks on blowback some Ivy League leaders have faced in response to how they’re handling antisemitism and anti-Israel protests on their campuses. The governor’s office said there has been an increase in inquiries about transferring, without providing any numbers to back that up.
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DeSantis accuses Trump of ‘massive, massive gaslighting
Oliver O’Connell12 January 2024 16:00
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Haley and DeSantis campaign schedules upended by weather
Republican presidential candidate events in Iowa are being cancelled today due to an anticipated snowstorm and extreme cold.
With roads potentially dangerous in these conditions, campaigns are limiting travel and either cancelling events or making them virtual.
Oliver O’Connell12 January 2024 15:45
Trump claims he’s chosen his running mate
During the town hall, Mr Trump hinted that he has made his mind up about who to tap to be his running mate – but refused to spill the details to hosts Martha MacCallum and Bret Baier.
Oliver O’Connell12 January 2024 15:30
Biden says Trump ‘already is’ Herbert Hoover
“When there’s a crash, I hope it’s in the next 12 months because I don’t want to be Herbert Hoover,” Mr Trump said, during a Lindell TV interview with Lou Dobbs on Monday.
The comment alluded to the 31st US president, who succeeded Calvin Coolidge at the tail-end of the Roaring Twenties before swiftly being hit by the Wall Street Crash in the autumn of 1929 and then voted out of office in 1932 as the Great Depression hit.
In his own video, posted on Thursday, Mr Biden blasted Mr Trump’s own record in office.
Oliver O’Connell12 January 2024 15:00
Top takeaways from the last GOP debate before the Iowa caucuses
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Oliver O’Connell12 January 2024 14:30