'You're so desperate': 5 takeaways from final Republican debate before Iowa caucuses

WASHINGTON ― Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis clashed Wednesday in the final debate before next week's Iowa Republican caucuses, slugging it out to become the leading alterative to Donald Trump for the GOP nomination.

It might have been too little, too late to change the dynamics in Iowa, where Trump maintains a massive polling lead ? between 30 and 40 percentage points in most polls.

But a strong second-place finish in Iowa could keep DeSantis afloat or give Haley much-needed momentum before the Jan. 23 primary in New Hampshire, a virtual must-win for her to find a path to the nomination when the map quickly expands.

"You're so desperate. You're just so desperate," Haley told DeSantis during one heated exchange, prompting DeSantis to accuse Haley of "ballistic podiatry" because she keeps "shooting herself in the foot."

Haley and DeSantis took the stage at Drake University in a debate hosted by CNN while Trump, the former president and clear frontrunner who has skipped every debate so far, took part in a Fox News town hall on the other side of Des Moines.

Here are five takeaways from the final debate before the Iowa caucus:

Chris Christie's surprise exit, hot mic precedes debate

Ahead of the debate came a surprise announcement by former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie ? the only candidate who ran on an aggressive anti-Trump message ? that he suspended his campaign, citing no viable path for him to win.

But neither Haley nor Christie seemed to make a direct appeal to Christie supporters. Both stayed far away from Christie's central case that Trump represents an existential threat to the Republican Party and the country.

"I would rather lose by telling the truth than lie to win," Christie said in remarks in New Hampshire, excoriating his Republican rivals, including Haley and DeSantis, for saying they would support Trump if he's the GOP nominee even if he's convicted in court. If Trump does go on to secure the Republican nomination, Christie said that was "the moment that it happened."

On paper, the more moderate Haley could be best positioned to win over former Christie voters, potentially giving her a a boost in New Hampshire, where Christie has been polling third. The Haley campaign is targeting a victory in New Hampshire before the primary shifts to her home state of February next month.

But Christie is choosing not to endorse any of the remaining candidates and scolded all of them for their tepidness in targeting Trump.

Christie was also caught on a hot microphone prior to his remarks saying Haley is "going to get smoked" and that "she's not up to this." Christie could be heard saying DeSantis called him on the phone "petrified" by his decision to drop out.

Narrower field leads to direct, heated confrontations

With the debate stage whittled down to two candidates for the first time, Haley and DeSantis swung at each other early and often ? but much less so at Trump.

Haley accused DeSantis of lying about his record as governor and in Congress - repeatedly urging the crowd to go to "DeSantislies.com" ? while DeSantis questioned Haley's willingness to go to bat for conservatives causes.

"We don't need another mealy-mouthed politician that tells you what she thinks you want to hear to get your vote," DeSantis said. "The reality is, Nikki Haley is not somebody that has been willing to stand and fight on behalf of conservatives."

The two butted heads and fact-checked on almost every issue: their positions on Social Security and raising the retirement age, whether Haley delivered on school choice, the gas tax, transgender rights, welcoming Chinese businesses to their states and Russia's war in Ukraine.

"Every time he lies ? Drake University, don't turn this into a drinking game ? because you will be overserved by the end of the night," Haley said. "You can't trust what Ron's saying."

Haley also poked at DeSantis' poll numbers that have steadily sunk over the past year. "If your leadership is about getting things done, how did you flow through $150 million in your campaign and you were still down in the polls?" she said. "If he can't handle the financial parts of a campaign. how is he going to handle the economy when it comes to the White House?"

DeSantis fired back by calling Haley's comments about campaign spending a "great window into her leadership" because she's "focused on a lot of political process stuff, things that no voter cares about."

Dodging Trump 'character' question

Like the previous debates, the arguing between the two candidates on stage seemed to ignore the fact that both trail Trump considerably.

And neither Haley nor DeSantis directly answered when moderate Jake Tapper asked whether Trump has the "moral character" to be president

Haley recited a past line that Trump was the "right president at the right time" and said she agreed with many of his policies. She sought to distinguish herself from Trump by making a personality contrast and calling for a "new generation" of Republican leadership."

"His way is not my way. I don't have vengeance. I don't have vendettas. I don't take things personally. For me, it's very much about no drama, no whining and getting results and getting them done," Haley said.

DeSantis said Trump failed to deliver on some of biggest promises, casting himself as the guy who can actually deliver on Republican priorities.

"He said he was going to build the wall and have Mexico pay for it. He did not deliver that," DeSantis said. "He said he was going to drain the swamp. He did not deliver that. He said we was going to hold Hillary accountable, and he let her off the hook. He said he was going to eliminate the debt and he added $7.8 trillion to the debt. So we need to deliver and get this stuff done."

Trump confronted over Jan. 6, legal troubles

Still, Haley gave her most forceful condemnation yet of Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election while DeSantis argued that Trump's legal problems over the next year could doom Republicans' chances.

Haley, in particular, seemed less reluctant discuss the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.

"That election, Trump lost it. Biden won that election," Haley said of four years ago. "And the idea that he's gone and carried this out forever, to the point that he's going to continue to say these things to scare the American people, are wrong," Haley said.

She added that she will "always fight and defend" the Constitution. "I think what happened on Jan. 6 was a terrible day and I think President Trump will have to answer for it."

DeSantis didn't go nearly as far as Haley but said Republicans need to consider the consequences of nominating Trump given his multiple criminal indictments.

"He's going to end up going to trial in front of a stacked left-wing D.C. jury of all Democrats," DeSantis said. "What are the odds that he's going to get through that ?and that's not even talking about the validity of the charges. I don't think he gets through that."

Meanwhile, both Haley and DeSantis said they disagreed with the argument from Trump's lawyers this week that presidents are immune from criminal prosecution, even if it involved the assassination of political rivals.

"No, that's ridiculous. That's absolutely ridiculous. You can't go and kill a political rival and then claim, you know, immunity," Haley said.

'You have to deport them,' Haley says of undocumented immigrants

Haley responded to attacks from the right, including Trump and DeSantis, over past comments in which she said undocumented immigrants should not be called "criminals."

"That doesn't mean we should let them into our country," Haley said when presented with the comments she made in 2015.

Later, Haley ? the daughter of immigrant parents from India ? said she supports deporting all of the 11 million undocumented immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally.

"You have to deport them," Haley said, "and the reason you have to deport them is because they're cutting the line. You've got people who have done this and are trying to go through the right way."

DeSantis, who as governor has used state dollars to send undocumented immigrants to other states, said immigration laws must be enforced.

"The number of people that will be amnestied when I'm president is zero," DeSantis said. "We cannot do amnesty in this country."

Reach Joey Garrison on X, formerly on Twitter, @joeygarrison.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 5 takeaways from final GOP debate before Iowa caucuses