ABC News canceled the New Hampshire Republican primary debate after neoconservative candidate Nikki Haley said she would not attend unless Donald Trump did.
Haley entered third In Iowa after Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, but she claimed that it was now a “two-person race,” referring to herself and the front-runner.
DeSantis was announced as the No. 2 finisher in Iowa by the Associated Press at 10:20 p.m.
“When you look at what we're doing in New Hampshire and South Carolina and beyond, I can safely say tonight that Iowa has made this Republican primary a two-man race,” Haley said, referring to Hillary Clinton.
Nikki Haley: “Tonight, Iowa made the Republican primary a two-person race!”pic.twitter.com/vybpPtemW3
– The Blaze (@TheBlaze) January 16, 2024
The next day, Haley said: “We've had five great debates this campaign. But it's unfortunate that Donald Trump has avoided all of these challenges. He has nowhere left to hide. The next debate I have will be with either Donald Trump or Joe Biden. I'm looking forward to till then.”
Haley reiterated her request during an interview with MSNBC's Ali Vitale.
He added: “I think we need to see, is Trump going to show up on stage? That’s my question.”
Trump did not attend any of the debates because he had already won the primaries in a landslide.
DeSantis was planning to attend, even after it was announced that Haley would not attend.
“I will not ignore New Hampshire voters like Nikki Haley and Donald Trump, and I plan to honor my commitments. I look forward to debating two empty platforms in the Granite State this week.”
However, ABC News confirmed that the debate was canceled Tuesday evening.
“It was our intention to host a debate coming out of the Iowa caucuses, but we always knew that would be contingent on the candidates and the outcome of the race,” an ABC News spokesperson said in a statement to The Wrap. “While our robust election coverage will continue, ABC News and WMUR-TV will not move forward with Thursday's Republican presidential primary debate in New Hampshire.”
Trump had criticized Reno Global's Nikki Haley hours before the start of the caucuses in Iowa.
In a post on Truth Social on Monday, Trump wrote: “Haley can never win a general election because she doesn't have a MAGA party, and she never will!”
“Ron DeSanctimonious, at the very least, is MAGA-Lite,” Trump continued. “Remember, I think MAGA is pretty much all of the Republican Party.”
Trump continued, “Gone are the days of RINOS and non-American candidates first!”
“Nikkei is a global Renault, backed by American for Chinese growth, a con job by Charles Koch,” Trump wrote. “It won't happen to her or DeSanctimonious! Vivek's votes have been wasted, and she must come to Trump. Make America Great Again!!!
Most of Haley's support appears to come from Democrats.
An NBC News, Des Moines Register, and Selzer & Associates poll conducted in Iowa ahead of the Iowa caucuses showed that Haley's supporters in Iowa are twice as likely to vote for Joe Biden as they are to vote for Donald Trump, if Not winning the elections. Republican Party nomination.
Pollsters asked potential Iowa respondents: “If Donald Trump were the Republican nominee in the November general election, would you vote for him, would you vote for Joe Biden, would you vote for independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., or would you vote for him?” Some other third-party candidates?”
Across the board, just 11% of Republican caucuses across the board said they would vote for Biden if Trump was the nominee. Looking just at Haley's supporters, that number jumped to a whopping 43%.
Only 23 percent of Haley's supporters said they would vote for Trump over Biden.
In contrast, 64% of DeSantis' supporters said they would vote for Trump if he were the nominee.
NBC News reports, “These new findings from a recent NBC News/Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll in Iowa also show the extent to which Haley had support from independents, Democrats and Republicans who were uncomfortable with Trump's takeover of the Republican Party. According to the poll results, Half of her supporters in the Iowa caucus are independents or Democrats, and overall, Haley received 20% in second place in the poll, compared to 48% for Trump.
The poll also shows that three-quarters of caucus participants believe Trump can defeat Biden despite the former president's legal challenges. “But again, a majority of Haley’s supporters believe it will be nearly impossible for Trump to win,” the report added.
In 2019, Haley was elected to Boeing's board of directors months after leaving her position in the Trump administration. At the time, her net worth was less than $1 million.
“Following her tenure, reports emerged that Haley boosted her wealth eightfold — to $8 million — after leaving the Trump administration,” the New York Post reported at the time.
Soon after, the former UN ambassador purchased a $2.4 million waterfront property on Kiawah Island, South Carolina.
