Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley criticized former President Trump for not participating in a debate ahead of the Iowa caucuses and tried to pressure the Republican front-runner to attend a CNN-sponsored event this month. .
Haley, a former U.N. ambassador and South Carolina governor, said in a social media post Tuesday that President Trump will “go into hiding” given that only three people are eligible to participate in the debate, the fewest ever. “It's getting harder,” he said.
Haley: “There are only three candidates available for the CNN debate, so it's time for Donald Trump to appear.'' Posted in X, formerly known as Twitter. “As the debate arena continues to shrink, it becomes increasingly difficult for Donald Trump to hide.”
CNN announced Tuesday that Trump, Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis met the criteria for the Jan. 10 debate. The department announced the debate last month, but only DeSantis and Haley have indicated they plan to participate.
Ms. Haley has shown a number of strong debate performances that have helped expand her support among voters, but she has previously criticized Mr. Trump for not participating in debates.
Mr. Trump, who has been absent from each of the past four Republican primary debates, is scheduled to participate in a town hall next week that will be broadcast on Fox News on the same night as the debate in Des Moines, Iowa, hosted by CNN.
A town hall will also be held in Des Moines and will “focus on the key issues facing voters ahead of the Iowa caucuses,” Fox said.
President Trump cited his large lead over his rival in the polls as a reason for not participating in the debate before Iowa's first Republican voting contest on January 15th.
Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
