The Iowa Republican Presidential Primary debate LIVE: Nikki Haley calls January 6 a 'terrible day' and criticizes Trump for repeatedly saying the election was stolen

Nikki Haley called January 6 a 'terrible day' and criticized Donald Trump for constantly saying the election was stolen in her shaprest criticism of the former president.

'Donald Trump basically said that the election was stolen. He went on and on talking about the election being stolen,' Haley said during the CNN debate on Wednesday night.

'That election? Trump lost it. Biden won that election. And the idea that [Trump’s] gone and carried this out forever, to the point that he’s going to continue to say these things to scare the American people, are wrong'.

It was a direct attack at the Republican frontrunner on a night where Haley mainly focused her attacks on rival Ron DeSantis.

Haley also said Trump will 'have to answer' for the 2021 Capitol riot and slammed him for claiming it was a 'beautiful day'.

Donald Trump predicted during the Fox News town hall that 'fancy shoes' Ron DeSantis will drop out of the race soon.

'He's going to be out of the race very soon. I watched him last night, he's standing up in his shoes...his fancy shoes,' said Trump.

'And he's going to be out of the race - a lot of people say before New Hampshire.'

Both candidates were asked to state what each admire about one another.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said he admired Haley's work at the United Nations becausue 'she spoke out strongly on some key issues. And I appreciated that.'

'I also appreciate the state of South Carolina. My wife is a college of Charleston graduate. Her parents lived there for many, many years. So it's a wonderful state,' he continued.

'There is a lot of great people there and I've them to have been able to be governor there is a great achievement and I really appreciate everyone I've gotten to meet in South Carolina.'

But Haley responded in just seven words: 'I think he's been a good governor.'

Nikki Haley and Gov. Ron DeSantis were asked if they believe that presidents should receieve total immunity from prosecution for offenses they were not impeached.

The question came as former President Donald Trump was in court in D.C. Tuesday to argue he should be immune from prosecution for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

'That’s ridiculous. That’s absolutely ridiculous. I mean, we need to use some common sense here. You can’t go and kill a political rival and then claim immunity,' answered Haley.

'I think we have to start doing things that are right,' she continued.

Meanwhile, DeSantis said he believes that the former president will not win in his efforts to appeal his presidential immunity case.

DeSantis talked about the 'proper role of government' is to protect American children as he described his ongoing bitter war with Disney.

'I have stood for the innocence of our kids. It is wrong to sexualize the curriculum,' he said.

'My wife and I have a first grader, kindergartner and preschooler. It's wrong to tell a kindergartner - like Disney wanted to do - that you can change your gender or a third grader you are born in the wrong body.'

'They are the 800 pound gorilla in the state of Florida. Most corporate Republicans would have caved. I stood and fought for the kids,' he said.

'We took on Disney and we defeated that and we won that fight and our kids are better off,' the Florida governor continued.

;Nikki Haley sided with Disney. She invited them to South Carolina even they were involved in trans-ing kids. That is not what we need to do,' he added.

Ron DeSantis got under Nikki Haley's skin when they debated issues with retirement benefits.

'Reducing the benefits when you do the change in calculation, reducing the benefits, put this in perspective, under her administration you would have seniors getting less cost living adjustments while your tax dollars are going to pay the pensions of Ukrainian bureaucrats,' said DeSantis.

'That's such a lie,' she replied.

DeSantis went on to accuse Nikki Haley of supporting billions going over to Ukraine.

''You are so desperate. You are just so desperate,' Haley retorted.

The Florida governor then accaused her of having a problem with 'ballistic podiatry,' aka shooting herself in the foot.

'She said recently that the age of social security is way too low, and I criticized that and then she was called on it and then she said she never said it, 'you are lying', sure enough you put on the interview she is there, spitting image and says it's way too low,' he said.

'We can play this song and dance. She has a record. She makes statements. Part of the problem with her, her candidacy, now she is getting scrutiny, she's got this problem with ballistic podiatry, shooting herself in the foot every other day, saying things she doesn't even take questions from people.'

'The number of people that will be amnestied when I am president will be zero,' said DeSantis during the heated debate.

'We cannot do an amnesty in this country. First of all, it's going to cause more people to want to come illegally. So you got to enforce the law. It's got to be consistent. People got to know it's there.'

'You also have to remove benefits for people who are here illegally. California, you can go illegal alien, and you get free health insurance coverage. You're here illegally, and they're doing that. We should not let states provide these benefits.'

He contrasted California's policies to what he has enacted as the governor of Florida.

'In Florida, obviously, we don't do that. We don't allow the driver's license and all that but some states do. And it creates a magnet for people coming in.'

As for what he would do as president, he said that federally there would be 'no benefit's for illegal migrants.

'No enticements to come in. And then the states, we're going to crack down on sanctuary states and sanctuary cities. And I showed the hypocrisy of all this back in 2022,' he continued.

Haley says Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's secret hospitalization is evidence that the Biden administration doesn't have a handle on how to handle the war between Israel and Hamas,

Asked if she would support strikes on Iran to knock out Hezbollah, Haley said dealing with the situation was further complicated by Austin's recent hospitalization for prostate cancer.

The White House has said President Joe Biden didn't know until Austin had already been in the hospital for days.

'How does Biden not talk to his secretary of defense every single day, knowing that we have a war in Europe, a war in the Middle East?' Haley asked.

'The idea that the secretary of defense would not even be in contact with the president, much less than contact with his staff, is unforgivable.'

Throughout tonight's CNN debate, Nikki Haley continously brought up a new website created by her campaign, DeSantisLies.com, that she says will outline all of the factual inaccuracies her oppoent has spewed against her.

The website opens with a black and white picture of DeSantis stating: 'Welcome to Ron DeSantis' world of lies.'

'The more Ron DeSantis loses, the more he lies. Get the facts about Ron DeSantis’ latest lies about Nikki Haley’s record and his own,' the website continues.

The 2024 hopeful brought up the website at least 14 times during the duration of the two-hour debate.

Nikki Haley responded to Ron DeSantis' attacks on her foreign policy positions by slamming how he has run his presidential campaign.

'The best way to tell about a candidate is to see how they've run their campaign. He has blown through $150 million. I don't know how you do that, through his campaign. He has nothing to show for it,' she said.

'He spent more money on private planes than he has on commercials trying to get Iowans to vote for him. If you can't manage a campaign, how are you going to manage a country?'

She went on to attack DeSantis for alligning himself with Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who did not vote for the House resoluton to condemn anti-Semitism on college campuses after Hamas' brutal attack on Israel.

'Governor Desantis, she is obviously referring to congressman Thomas Massie from Kentucky,' said the CNN moderator.

DeSantis retorted: 'That's just cheap garbage.'

Massie replied on X, saying 'I’m living in Nikki Haley’s head rent free… and trust me, there’s plenty of empty space in here!'

Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley went head-to-head in an intense exchange on national security.

The Florida governor accused Haley of not 'articulating' how to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

He said Haley suggested that the only way to end the conflict is by bringing Ukraine into NATO.

'But of course we're a NATO country. So if you bring Ukraine into NATO, that puts the United States at war,' said DeSantis.

He blamed Haley for supporting Biden's request for $106 billion in supplemental aid to Ukraine, saying billions of dollars have paid salaries for Ukrainian government bureaucrats. 

'They've paid pensions for Ukrainian retirees with your tax dollars. We've got homeless veterans. We have all these problems. This is the U.N. way of thinking that we're somehow globalists and we have unlimited resources to do.'

He finished off his portion with a brutal barb: 'You can take the ambassador out of the United Nations but you can't take the United Nations out of the ambassador.'

Haley responded saying she does not support the Biden aid package, but rather equipment and ammunition going to Ukraine. 

'I think it is incredibly important that we're honest and say we have to focus on national security. Don't go and lie to the American people to make them think we can't do this,' she continued.

President Trump commented on Chris Christie's hot mic moment where he was caught trashing NIkki Haley.

'And she's going to get smoked, and you and I both know this, she's not up to this,' Christie is heard saying about Haley, he then revealed that DeSantis had called him on the phone and sounded 'petrified.'

Trump told Fox News' Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum in Iowa during a Fox News townhall that Christie's hot mic moment was accurate.

The moment 'where he happened to say [Nikki] doesn’t have what it takes… that’s one of the few things he’s been right about actually,' said the former president.

Nikki Haley started off her opening statement laying out all the 'lies' being told about her by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The head-to-head match up between Haley and DeSantis is being hosted by Drake University in Iowa.

Haley began the debate by stating 'we need a new generational leader.'

'We have watched our country be in disarray. We see the world on fire, and we need someone who has had executive experience,' she continued touting her own record.

'But you're going to find out tonight there is going to be a lot of Ron's lies that have happened,' she predicted.

'There are at least a couple dozen so far that he has done. So what we're going to do is rather than have him go and tell you all these lies, you can go to DeSantisLies.com, and look at all those, at least two dozen lies that he has told about me, and you can see where fact-checkers say exactly what's going toe happen.'

She went on to say the fact he is mad stems from his donors leaving him and backing her campaign.

'And that's because he is upset, about the fact that his campaign is exploding,' she continued.

'But every time he lies, Drake University, don't turn this into a drinking game because you will be over served by the end of the night,' she stated to applause in the crowd.

Nikki Haley

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's decision to drop out of the 2024 contest just five days before the Iowa caucuses could stand to benefit Nikki Haley.

Although Christie was only polling in Iowa at 3 percent, his departure from the race could give Haley an extra boost of momentum.

She is expected to more broadly benefit from Christie's dropping out in New Hampshire, where the former governor had been polling at nearly 12 percent.

Former President Donald Trump's pollster predicted in a campaign memo released Wednesday night that the ex-president still beats former U.N. Amb. Nikki Haley by eight points in New Hampshire now that former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has dropped out.

'Christie voters are mainly independents 63% and 72% are either liberals or moderates,' pollster John McLaughlin pointed out.

He predicted that for Haley to attract some of that voting bloc she'd have to take more liberal positions - which could alienate conservatives and help Trump.

'Christie's withdrawal to attract his voters will only pull Nikki Haley further to the left,' McLaughlin said. 'For this reason, in the 2-way New Hampshire ballot that would factor a Christie withdrawal, President Trump still wins - Trump 52%-44% Haley.'

Christie dropped out of the presidential race Wednesday night and has yet to endorse a candidate.

He was caught on hot mic talking trash on Haley - saying she's 'going to get smoked' by Trump and 'she's not up to this.'

Nikki Haley has floated the idea of Ron DeSantis as her running mate if secures the Republican nomination for president.

The former U.N. Ambassdor said she would 'maybe' consider the Florida Governor as a vice presidential candidate if he 'wants to join forces'.

Haley has dodged questions on whether she would consider joining Donald Trump on the GOP ticket in 2024, and has upped her attacks on DeSantis.

In a joint interview with NBC News and the Des Moines Register, she said she would 'welcome' DeSantis if it helps her beat Trump.

'I am going to defeat Donald Trump on my own. That’s the goal that we have. If he wants to join forces with me, I welcome that. But right now, we’ve got a race that we feel good about. We’ve got a surge. We’ve got momentum.'

DeSantis slapped down the idea when asked if he would consider Haley.

Instead he called her a 'phony' and a 'darling of the Never Trumpers' during their battle for second place in the polls.

He also accused his Republican rival of running to be Trump's vice president, a potential vacancy he insists he won't fill.

Ron DeSantis left an important item in Florida when he flew back to Iowa after delivering his State of the State address on Tuesday.

'I actually do have a winter coat,' DeSantis told a construction contractors convention in Des Moines on Wednesday. 'And I forgot it. I left it at home.'

The temperatures for Iowa were below freezing and headed to below zero through Monday's caucuses.

DeSantis told the crowd that his staff was getting his coat from Tallahassee before he heads up to even-chillier northwest Iowa on Thursday.

'I think I'll need much more than that,' he said. 'I think I'm going to need the earmuffs and all that stuff.'

The Biden campaign focused on the Republican candidates' 'extreme' stances on abortion ahead of the CNN debate and Donald Trump's Fox News town hall.

Democrats are set to make the overturning of Roe v. Wade and reproductive rights a key line of attack as the race for the White House heats up.

'During tonight's debate and Fox town hall voters are going to witness three MAGA extremists proudly tout an anti-freedom agenda that poses a dire threat to American women to the fundamental right to make their own health care decisions,' Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez told reporters.

'It's not just Trump,' she added. 'Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis each have their own extreme anti-abortion records.

'As governor, they both signed anti-abortion bans that threatened doctors with jail time and had no exceptions for rape or incest and they both pledged to sign a national abortion ban as president'.

Chris Christie told stunned supporters he was committed to stoping a second Donald Trump as he suspended his 2024 presidential campaign on Wednesday night.

In the emotional speech he criticized his Republican rivals for not attacking Trump in the early stages of the race.

Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley have only recently upped their personal criticism of the former president.

In one of his most visceral attacks, Christie

said Trump, a former New Yorker, wouldn't have acted in the nation's interest if he were in the Oval Office on Sept. 11th.

'First thing he would have done is run to the bunker to protect himself,' said Christie.

'Anyone who is unwilling to say that he is unfit to be president of the United States is unfit themselves to be president of the United States,' he said.

Eric Levine, a New York-based Haley supporter, said all the pressure is on DeSantis to make something happen.

I think there's some tremendous momentum that she's going to pick up from Christie dropping out, because those voters go to her. The pressure is on DeSantis. He put all his chips in the middle of the table on Iowa so he needs to either win it or finish a very close second to Trump and way ahead of her. I don't think any of those things are happening.

That should leave Haley to focus on fundamentals, he said, setting out her Reaganite, conservative politics for a nationwide audience without having to blow things up.

A one-on-one debate with Nikki Haley is what Ron DeSantis has wanted since the start of the primary race.

At 9pm on CNN they will try and sway any Iowa residents who haven't decided which candidate they will caucus for on Monday.

DailyMail.com has broken down what to watch out for in the faceoff in Des Moines.

Will either candidate be able to do enough to shrink Donald Trump's lead in the polls or are they simply battling for second place?

The leading super PAC backing Donald Trump, Make America Great Again Inc., piled on Chris Christie's misery on Wednesdsay night.

Spokesperson Karline Leavitt said the former president has 'vanquished 8 challengers' in the Republican primary without a 'single vote' being cast.

'Republican voters want a strong leader who will reboot our economy, secure our border, make America energy independent again, and keep our families safe,' she added.

MAGA Inc. has spent millions on ads attacking Nikki Haley in New Hampshire after her recent surge in the polls.

If Christie's switch their support to the former South Carolina Governor, then Trump could be facing a tighter contest in the primary on January 23.

Donald Trump celebrated the news that Chris Christie will be dropping out of the presidential race with a post on Truth Social.

The former president said: 'I hear Chris Christie is dropping out of the race today — I might even get to like him again! Anyway, he was just caught on a hot mic making a very truthful statement: “She’s gonna get smoked…You and I both know it, she’s not up to this.”'

Turmp is skipping the CNN Republican presidential primary debate on Wednesday night and will take part in a Fox News town hall instead at 9pm.

Ron DeSantis reacted to the release of Chris Christie's hot mic moment by saying he agreed with him.

As he prepared for the CNN debate, the Florida governor tweeted: 'I agree with Christie that Nikki Haley is "going to get smoked".

He didn't reference another line from the audio, where Christie called him 'petrified'.

The Iowa caucus on Monday could be the coldest in history.

The wintry conditions have blanketed the state with snow and caused chaos for the campaigns as they try and clinch vital voters.

Jimmy Centers, a top Republican strategist who isn't aligned to a candidate, told DailyMail.com that campaign with the best ground game has the advantage.

Centers said that Iowans were hardy types who took their responsibilities seriously and would caucus in all weathers.

'But a robust organization can make certain that regardless of the weather forecast, your supporters still turn out, and have any support they need to make it to caucus on a cold January night,' he said.

That gives Trump an advantage, he added, just ahead of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

'DeSantis has built a really strong organization, with caucus location captains for every site across the state,' said Centers, former communications director for Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds.

'In any other year, that would be the gold standard for a caucus organization. Former President Trump's team has the benefit of having worked the state for eight years, and built deep, meaningful relationships across the state.'

Monday and Tuesday brought heavy snow across the state, upending travel plans and forcing campaigns to cancel events.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was caught on hot mic talking trash about 2024 hopefuls Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and U.N. Amb. Nikki Haley moments before dropping out of the presidential race Wednesday evening.

At a New Hampshire town hall, Christie told an audience that 'it's clear to me that there isn't a path' to the Republican nomination, 'which is why I'm suspending my campaign for president of the United States.'

The livestream on his campaign website carried a conversation Christie was having backstage before his dramatic announcement.

Christie is heard commenting that Haley spent $68 million on her campaign, while DeSantis spent $59, while the former New Jersey governor had just spent $12 million, noting that he was the one 'punching above their weight.'

'And she's going to get smoked, and you and I both know this, she's not up to this,' Christie is heard saying about Haley.

He also revealed that DeSantis called him 'petrified.'

Good evening from the DailyMail.com politics team on a dramatic night in the Republican presidential race.

Rivals Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis will face off in a debate on CNN at 9pm in the battle to close the gap with frontrunner Donald Trump.

They made their final preparations as Chris Christie made a stunning announcement he was suspending his campaign.

He dropped out two weeks before the New Hampshire primary, where he was polling as high as third.

Donald Trump is skipping the CNN debate - even though he was invited - and will take part in a town hall on Fox News.