“We’ve had five great debates in this campaign,” said Haley. “Unfortunately, Donald Trump has ducked all of them”
ABC News cancelled a Republican presidential debate scheduled for Thursday in New Hampshire, hours after Nikki Haley refused to appear in further debates unless Donald Trump or Joe Biden were participating.
The GOP presidential candidate accused Trump of avoiding his rivals on stage. “We’ve had five great debates in this campaign,” said Haley in a statement. “Unfortunately, Donald Trump has ducked all of them. He has nowhere left to hide. The next debate I do will either be with Donald Trump or with Joe Biden. I look forward to it.”
Haley reiterated her statement when appearing on CNN later on Tuesday: “If he’s [Trump] on that stage, I’m there.” CNN’s own Republican debate in New Hampshire is still scheduled for Sunday. Although Ron DeSantis has accepted the invite to appear on the network, the former president scheduled a rally in New Hampshire that same day.
The challenge from the former South Carolina governor comes a day after Trump dominated the Iowa caucus. Haley finished in third place, following behind DeSantis.
Trump announced in August that he would be shying away from debating his opponents on stage, opting instead for one-on-one interviews and solo rallies. During a Republican primary debate in September, GOP candidates bashed a no-show Trump.
“Donald, I know you’re watching. You can’t help yourself,” said Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, directly addressing the former president. “I know you’re watching, and you’re not here tonight. And not because of polls, and not because of your indictments — you’re not here tonight because you’re afraid of being on this stage and defending your record.”
