Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley got some chuckles after summing up what she digs about Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis toward the conclusion of Wednesday’s GOP primary debate.
The Florida governor, when asked what he admires about Haley, declared that she “spoke out strongly” on key issues when she served as a United Nations ambassador and noted his wife Casey’s ties to South Carolina.
Haley, however, kept her answer short.
“I think he’s been a good governor,” replied Haley, whose curt response got light laughs from the crowd – and a smile out of DeSantis – at the CNN-hosted debate.
“OK,” replied moderator and CNN host Jake Tapper.
The debate, which occurred hours after former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christiedropped out of the 2024 race, arrived ahead of the Iowa caucuses on Monday.
Haley’s response came in a debate that she spent criticizing DeSantis for his “lies,” his presidential campaign and his record as Florida governor.
Former President Donald Trump, the current GOP front-runner, did not appear at the latest Republican primary debate and instead participated in counterprogramming over at Fox News.
The former president has maintained his lead over DeSantis by over 48 percentage points on average in national polls, according to FiveThirtyEight.
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