Brandon Livesay
US reporter

Image source, Getty

Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis have made their latest presidential pitches amid a flurry of insults at each other.

But like the other Republican debates we've had so far in this cycle, it feels like the victor was the candidate who didn't show up - Donald Trump.

Trump was a major theme throughout the debate and he was the only topic both Haley and DeSantis could agree on. They both repeatedly said the former president should have been on the debate stage.

Outside of Trump, we heard the candidates speak on a range of policy issues like immigration, the economy and education.

The true test of how they performed tonight will come on Monday, when Iowa caucuses will vote on who they want to be their presidential candidate.

You can read more about the importance of the Iowa caucuses here.

Our writers today have been Bernd Debusmann Jr, Sam Cabral, Max Matza and Nadine Yousif.

Thanks for following along with our live coverage.

Image source, Getty Images

The two-hour debate saw Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley engage in substantive policy discussions, but also spar with each other in back-and-forth and get in several digs.

Five days out from the Iowa caucus, the first of the state-by-state contests in the Republican primary, the event may not have done much to help either contender emerge as the chief alternative to Donald Trump.

Some social media commentators noted that the ambience at Trump's town hall event was different - he was relaxed and humorous, and surrounded by adoring fans.

Former Fox star Megyn Kelly wrote on X that there was "just no comparison".

"Trump on TV is totally compelling. He’s funny, he’s interesting & he was very “on” tonight. You see the 2 & think: okay- policy, principle, points-what if?? Then you see DT & remember," she said.

Philanthropist Maria Shriver noted she wished "instead of just attacking each other, they would articulate their vision for our country and why they are better than Trump".

Olivia Troye, a disillusioned Trump White House alumnus, said: "Ron DeSantis & Nikki Haley are busy taking each other down during the GOP Debate while Trump delivers a keynote speech to a captive audience. The GOP in a nutshell."

Image source, Getty Images

In the first one-one-one debate we have seen in this election cycle, there have been sharp and occasionally heated moments. Here are the key exchanges from the night:

• Both candidates criticised Donald Trump for staying away from the debate stage, each saying several times "he should be here" to defend his record and 2024 proposals
• Nikki Haley repeatedly plugged a website called DeSantisLies - alleging that Ron DeSantis was lying about his record and hers, telling the crowd at one point: "Ron's lying because Ron's losing"
• DeSantis pitched himself as a fighter who will represent Americans, saying Trump fights for himself and Haley fights for her donors. "When you need someone to fight for you, you won't find her without a search warrant," he said
• On the economy, Haley vowed to be "an accountant in the White House" who respects taxpayer dollars and cuts wasteful spending, while DeSantis pushed 'America First' policies including on energy production
• DeSantis pledged to accomplish what Trump could not - "build the wall... actually have Mexico pay for it" - while Haley said simply building a wall was not enough and needed to be combined with a series of other policies, including some from the Trump era
• The two candidates diverged on foreign policy, with DeSantis saying "you can take the ambassador out of the UN, but you can't take the UN out of the ambassador" in reference to Haley's former job post
• The Florida governor also called his opponent "confused" on the issue of abortion, but Haley retorted that he does not know how to speak on the issue because "this is too personal of an issue to put forth fear and judgment"
• Haley got in her strongest dig at Trump when she slammed him for his alleged actions to overturn the 2020 election, saying "I don't think [January 6] was a beautiful day like Donald Trump does", and later saying it was "ridiculous" for the ex-president to claim immunity for his actions
• She pleaded with voters not to choose "four more years of chaos" by nominating Trump, while DeSantis - in his final pitch - argued "freedom is on the ballot"

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from Des Moines, Iowa

We just heard from Bob Vander Plaats, the head of the Christian Family Leader organisation and one of Ron DeSantis' most influential backers in the state of Iowa.

Speaking to reporters after the debate, Vander Plaats said he considered the debate a "success" and a "good job" that would bode well next week at the caucuses.

Iowans, he claimed, will be re-assured by the Florida governor's track record.

"The record in Florida is exemplary," he said. There's got to be a clear alternative for Donald Trump." "He should have been on stage. He owes that to Iowans," Vander Plaats added.

Image source, Getty Images

The debate is over, with Haley pleading with voters to prevent "four more years of chaos".

DeSantis ends by telling voters in Iowa, "Y'all know what you're doing".

"I'm running for your issues. Family issues," he says, adding: "Freedom is on the ballot, decline is a choice."

And with that, the first one-on-one debate of the 2024 presidential election cycle is over.

We are now two hours into the debate and we're hearing the final pitch from both Haley and DeSantis.

Haley starts off by saying she is the best person to beat Joe Biden.

She finishes on a positive note, saying "our best days are to come".

DeSantis brings up how he has visited all 99 counties of Iowa, showing his focus on the caucuses on Monday. He says he is the only candidate who continually beats the left, and he will be a president you could be proud of.

The candidates have been asked about 2023 being the hottest year on record, and the fact that 28 climate disasters were declared in the US last year.

"We have to have reliable energy," DeSantis says, adding that "liquid fuels are very very important".

He adds that top Democrats "talk out of one side of their mouth and behave another way" and are hypocritical when it comes to sustainability.

The left, he says, "want to take away your freedom and they want you to pay more for everything".

He says that American energy must be cheaper for consumers. He says that China is rapidly building new coal plants and the US is "cutting off our nose to spite our face".

Haley begins her answer saying: "Everybody wants clean air, clean water."

But she adds, "you don't deal in extremes" meaning the Paris climate deal.

She says that the US does not yet have the infrastructure to "handle" electric vehicles.

There are not enough charging stations and roads can't handle the weight of electric cars, she says, adding that green energy comes from Chinese companies.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from Des Moines, Iowa

Image source, Getty Images

When the caucuses take place next week, the candidates will be competing both against one another and against the weather.

At the moment, it's cold - but not too cold. As I entered Des Moines' Drake University at about dusk this afternoon, it was about -2 C (28.4F), with minor flurries of snow expected.

The worst, however, is yet to come. Next Monday - when the caucuses take place - temperatures in parts of Iowa will plummet to -29 C (-20F), likely making the roads a dangerous, slippery mess.

Turnout for the Iowa caucuses is never huge, and some analysts have speculated that the weather may drive attendance even lower. Whether this is the case remains to be seen.

In the fiery and tense last days ahead of the Iowa caucus, it's already become an issue. Nikki Haley came under some criticism from her opponents for cancelling an event amid snowy weather, and both Trump and DeSantis have vowed that their supporters will caucus, no matter the weather.

We'll see how that plays out next week. In the meantime, those of us visiting Iowa from the East Coast will just be doing our best to stay warm.

Image source, Getty Images

The candidates are asked if there is a meaningful difference in how they view the US Constitution compared to Donald Trump.

Haley takes the opportunity to harshly criticise Trump for continuing to claim the 2020 election was stolen from him, explicitly stating that he lost and should drop the lie.

"What happened on January 6 was a terrible thing and Donald Trump will have to answer for it," she says.

"I don't think it was a beautiful day" like he does, she adds.

Ron DeSantis notes that his relationship to the Constitution derives from the oath he took while serving in the military.

He accuses Trump of being prone to "word vomit" and making ill-advised statements about terminating the Constitution.

But - continuing his tendency to be uncomfortable with taking on the frontrunner directly - he pivots away from Trump and takes the opportunity to attack "the people that violated the Constitution during Covid", promising to hold them accountable.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from Des Moines, Iowa

The crowd here at Drake University seems to be a bit more engaged now than they were at the outset of the debate - and that appears to be going in DeSantis' favour.

Over the last few questions, DeSantis has gotten notably louder applause from the audience, while response to Haley's comments has been somewhat muted.

At times, only a handful of claps can be heard coming from the crowd for her - perhaps a reflection of DeSantis' greater poll numbers here in Iowa.

She did, however, receive a warm reception from the crowd after criticising former president Donald Trump's recent reference to the 6 January riot detainees as "hostages".

The tone of the debate also seems to have changed slightly, with the focus now more on policy than on the insults we heard earlier.

DeSantis is asked to comment on Haley's stance on abortion.

"She's been confused on the issue," he says, claiming she has said "different things" to different audiences.

He says that she "uses the language of the left" when talking about abortion.

He quickly pivots to Trump, saying that he should appear in person to voters on the debate stage.

"You are a servant to the people, not a ruler over the people," he tells Trump, as the crowd applauds.

In response, Haley notes that DeSantis has only mildly attacked her on this issue.

"This is too personal of an issue to put fear and judgement," she says, saying that DeSantis does not know how to speak about it.

"It should be how 'do we save as many babies as possible and save as many mothers as possible'."

Image source, Getty Images

Both candidates at the debate are asked if they will commit to never raising the retirement age and cutting the Social Security welfare benefit seniors receive.

DeSantis says he will "not mess with seniors' benefits" and vows in particular to not raise the retirement age.

Haley alleges that, for three years in a row, her rival voted to raise the retirement age to 70

"Ron's lying because Ron's losing," she says.

She says protecting seniors is important but "we cannot bury our heads in the sand" because welfare coffers are due to be insolvent within a decade and the retirement age needs to be raised.

Haley pledges once again to be "an accountant who's going to go in there and clean it up".

The candidates continue accusing each other of lying about each other's records.

DeSantis says that US tax dollars, under a Haley administration, would "go to pay the pensions of Ukrainian bureaucrats".

"That's just not true. That's such a lie," she says, as the debate moderator chastises her to let him speak.

"You're so desperate. You're just so desperate," Haley says to DeSantis.

DeSantis later got his own insult in, saying Haley has a problem with "ballistic podiatry" (shooting herself in the foot).

Haley has been asked about her claim that she will be "even tougher" on China than Trump.

"I fought them every single day at the United Nations. I know what they're capable of," she says.

Her priorities, she says, is stopping China from buying land in the US, stopping American "technologies from going to China", telling US universities that they can either accept American or Chinese students, stopping them from sending fentanyl to the US, and building up the US military.

DeSantis says: "I'm a Navy guy. We need more sea power."

He says this will "deny their ability to invade Taiwan".

He goes on to say that the US must "decouple our economy" from China, especially industries that are "significant to our national survival".

The candidates then begin quarrelling over who has a tougher record when it comes to China.

DeSantis says Haley's corporate donors "make a lot of money from China" and don't want her to crack down on the country.

Haley responds by saying DeSantis lies.

Image source, Getty Images

Let's check back in with Donald Trump, who has just finished his Fox News town hall event.

Trump was asked who is in the running to be his vice-president if he becomes the Republican nominee.

"I can't tell you that," the former president responds. "I mean I know who it’s going to be."

He does not, however, drop any hints - except for a joke that he has "already started liking [Chris] Christie better" after his hot mic moment trashing Nikki Haley earlier today.

Speculation is rife about who Trump will pick as his running mate, with South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, House Republican leader Elise Stefanik and Florida lawmaker Byron Donalds among the names recently tossed around.

It is worth noting that, despite Haley running against Trump, she has not ruled out being his VP. Ron DeSantis has said he is not auditioning for the role.

Some Trump-friendly Republicans have argued another candidate in the race, Vivek Ramaswamy, has made the strongest case to be a vice-presidential nominee if his own presidential bid fails.

Haley is asked why South Carolina schools ranked near the bottom of all states during her time as state governor.

"What we did was we knew there was an issue," she says, saying that she prioritised literacy at the time.

She adds that limits on federal aid should be cut off, telling voters they should "reduce the strings that are attached" to government education grants.

"Put education back in the states and away from Washington DC," she says, calling education "state-centric".

DeSantis is asked about why he has passed laws restricting how school children are taught about issues such as race and gender.

He pivots to "school choice", saying that he has made it easier for parents to send their kids to charter schools.

"We believe in empowering parents and there are certain standards for what ages are appropriate," he says, claiming that some schools are showing "pornography" to young children.

He goes on to say "I don't want a nationalised curriculum," taking a swipe at Washington regulators.

The debate has just hit the one hour mark and the candidates are now talking about education, particularly about "woke" issues in schools.

Both Haley and DeSantis keep interrupting each other, arguing over who is lying and who said what in the past.

The crowd seems to be cheering both candidates fairly equally.

DeSantis is asked about comments by some top Israeli officials who have called for Palestinians to be removed from Gaza.

Haley recently said she disagrees with that approach.

He begins by criticising Joe Biden for "kneecapping" its ally.

"We trust Israel to make these decisions. They're a good ally of ours and we should trust them."

Asked to clarify whether he supports removing civilians from Gaza he says, "as president I'm not going to tell them to do that".

But DeSantis quickly adds: "There's a lot of issues with that."

He ends by saying that he would accept that approach if it was necessary to avoid "a second holocaust".

Haley responds by saying "Israel is a bright spot in a tough neighbourhood".

"It has never been that Israel needs America, it has always been that America needs Israel," she says.

Image source, Getty Images

The Republican candidates in this election cycle have tiptoed around the issue of how to criticise Donald Trump without alienating his supporters.

That's a tough job given how loyal Trump's base is.

But, with the former president skipping yet another chance to debate them, both of his top rivals have repeatedly said he should be on stage tonight.

They want to call him out on his record as president and they want to draw contrasts with what he is proposing in a second term.

But what both DeSantis and Haley are not mentioning is the weight of Trump's legal troubles. He faces 91 felony charges across four criminal trials and fighting those charges will hamper his ability to be on the campaign trail.

That may have something to do with the fact both of these contenders have conceded they would likely back Trump for president in November if he beats them, and even if he is convicted in any of his cases.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from Des Moines, Iowa

I'm currently at Drake University watching Haley and DeSantis debate. But every few minutes, my phone pings with messages from the man who is not here: Donald Trump.

In the last 40 minutes or so, I've received a slew of emails from the Donald Trump campaign, taking aim at both candidates on stage with strong, colourful language.

The last one I received, for example, accused DeSantis of a "childish" and "arrogant" foreign policy record, while the previous one accused Haley of "loving" China.

He might not be on stage, but the emails - and the number of times he's been mentioned - show that his spectre looms large and that his email is taking the competition seriously, despite his commanding lead.