CNN held two presidential town halls on Thursday in Iowa, one with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and another with former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley and while most of the questions were good or unobjectionable as they came from actual Republican voters. However, when CNN deviated from that formula things went sideways as DeSantis was asked how many people he was willing to kill to secure the border and Haley was asked about kicking Gazans out of Gaza.
DeSantis went first and moderator Kaitlan Collins introduced the questioner as Joseph Howe, “He is a business consultant from Des Moines, who is the former Iowa Libertarian state chair. He now says he is Republican and he's undecided. Joseph?”
Bad Libertarian habits die hard as Howe quizzed DeSantis about the border, “Yeah, thanks for being here. Governor, almost all illegal migrants crossing the border carry a backpack or bag, very few are cartel members. If you order to shoot on sight, now excepting women and children, how many innocent people are you willing to have killed to kill one low-level drug mule?”
DeSantis responded by comparing drug cartels to the insurgents in the Iraq War, “Well, Joseph, thanks for that, but I take issue with the premise of that. When you're conducting military operations, you're not just doing that willy-nilly. I'm the only one running for president that actually has served overseas, in a war, in the Iraq campaign. They didn't dress, they didn't wear uniforms. You had to positively identify. People would have hostile actions, hostile intent. And then you would be able to engage.”
He also took issue with the media on the issue, “So, it's going to be the same type of thing. It's not going to be -- and it's anything like we do even in-- domestically, when a police officer would engage. So it's not going to be done the way the media saying it's going to be done, but I will tell you this, I've been down there. The cartel will cut holes in the actual border wall and they will come through with fentanyl.”
After Collins and DeSantis, it was time for Erin Burnett and Haley to take the stage. While discussing the Israel-Hamas War, Burnett wondered what Haley’s vision for life after the war looks like:
Obviously, what's happening in Gaza, though, there's, you know, a horrific loss of civilian life going on as well and a huge, stratospheric loss. Two Israeli cabinet members came out this week, and they actually advocated for relocating people from Gaza out of Gaza, basically, Palestinians out of Gaza, and that there are some in the Israeli government that support that. Would a President Haley support that? Would you support removing Palestinians from Gaza?
Haley didn’t take the bait, “I don't think you have to remove Palestinians from Gaza. I think you have to remove Hamas from Gaza. But I think you also need to make sure that Israelis can feel safe again. And the way Israelis will feel safe, they're not opposed to Palestinians being in Gaza. They're opposed to terrorists being in Gaza. They're opposed to terrorists being at their doorstep.”
Two rationale answers to two questions seeking to create inflammatory headlines.
Here are transcripts for the January 4 town halls:
CNN Republican Presidential Town Hall with Ron DeSantis
1/4/2024
9:09 PM ET
KAITLAN COLLINS: Well, Governor, I'm glad you brought up immigration because we actually have a question on immigration from our next questioner. This is Joseph Howe. He is a business consultant from Des Moines, who is the former Iowa Libertarian state chair. He now says he is Republican and he's undecided. Joseph?
JOSEPH HOWE: Yeah, thanks for being here. Governor, almost all illegal migrants crossing the border carry a backpack or bag, very few are cartel members. If you order to shoot on sight, now excepting women and children, how many innocent people are you willing to have killed to kill one low-level drug mule?
RON DESANTIS: Well, Joseph, thanks for that, but I take issue with the premise of that. When you're conducting military operations, you're not just doing that willy-nilly. I'm the only one running for president that actually has served overseas, in a war, in the Iraq campaign. They didn't dress, they didn't wear uniforms. You had to positively identify. People would have hostile actions, hostile intent. And then you would be able to engage.
So, it's going to be the same type of thing. It's not going to be -- and it's anything like we do even in-- domestically, when a police officer would engage. So it's not going to be done the way the media saying it's going to be done, but I will tell you this, I've been down there. The cartel will cut holes in the actual border wall and they will come through with fentanyl.
So, my question to you and other critics who don't say, how many fentanyl deaths are enough? Are we just supposed to sit here and let this happen? I think the president not only has a right, I think you have a responsibility to fight back against these people. I am sick and tired of seeing the carnage in this country. And in my travels through Iowa, I've met Angel Parents, people that have lost kids to fentanyl overdose.
And a lot of times, these are not drug addicts. These are-- may be a college student that is stressed out during exams so they buy a pill thinking it's going to help 'em get through the night. And it turns it's laced with fentanyl. That could be enough to poison that student to death.
And so, this is shattering families. It's shattering communities. The people in D.C., they just shrug their shoulder. They could care less about what's going on. Well, I care about this. I care about defending American communities and American families. And so, yes, they have killed more Americans than all the terrorist groups in this -- in this world combined over the last five years. When is enough, enough?
***
CNN Republican Presidential Town Hall with Nikki Haley
1/4/2024
10:33 PM ET
ERIN BURNETT: And, Ambassador -- I know, obviously, you were ambassador to U.N., and that's in the capacity you went into the tunnels. Obviously, what's happening in Gaza, though, there's, you know, a horrific loss of civilian life going on as well and a huge, stratospheric loss. Two Israeli cabinet members came out this week, and they actually advocated for relocating people from Gaza out of Gaza, basically, Palestinians out of Gaza, and that there are some in the Israeli government that support that. Would a President Haley support that? Would you support removing Palestinians from Gaza?
NIKKI HALEY: I don't think you have to remove Palestinians from Gaza. I think you have to remove Hamas from Gaza. But I think you also need to make sure that Israelis can feel safe again. And the way Israelis will feel safe, they're not opposed to Palestinians being in Gaza. They're opposed to terrorists being in Gaza. They're opposed to terrorists being at their doorstep.
And so Israel doesn't want Gaza. I mean, if you look at what Hamas has done to Gaza, Israel doesn't want Gaza. But the Palestinian Authority has proven they have an inability to lead and the reason they have an inability to lead is, they allowed Hamas to come in and do all of this to the people of Gaza.
So, I don't think we remove Palestinians, but I think they have to have some sort of leadership that ensures to Israelis that they don't have to worry about terrorists living on their doorstep.
