Five key takeaways from US Republican presidential debate in Iowa
Al Jazeera
Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis trade barbs over Ukraine, Israel support as frontrunner Donald Trump holds muted town hall.
It was a busy night in United States politics.
A Republican presidential hopeful dropped out of the race. Two candidates duked it out in a televised debate. And a former president struck his usual defiant tone.
The fireworks unfolded as the all-important Iowa caucuses loomed on the horizon. With only days until Iowa holds the first presidential primary contest of the 2024 race, the stakes were high for candidates seeking to challenge Republican frontrunner Donald Trump for the party nod.
At Wednesday’s debate — the fifth of the primary calendar — Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley traded barbs from moment they started speaking.
“We don’t need a candidate who’s going to look down on middle America,” DeSantis said of Haley, describing her as “another mealy-mouthed politician”.
