Vivek Ramaswamy does 30 pushups with college student at Iowa ‘Faith and Family’ forum with Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis as GOP hopefuls cross paths days after THAT heated debate

Three Republican presidential candidates crossed paths again Saturday in Iowa, just days after a contentious debate that at times devolved into personal insults.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy all attended the 'Faith And Family' forum in Sioux City, where they made their case to voters in the key primary state.

Ramaswamy's flair for stunts was on full display when he challenged a student to match him by doing 30 push-ups outside the forum, which was held at the University of Dordt.

Rep. Randy Feenstra and his wife Lynette organized the event focused on the candidates' religious faith and family life at the small Christian college in northwest Iowa, a more rural, conservative corner of the state.

The candidates all brought along family members, with DeSantis appearing alongside wife Casey, Haley attending with daughter Rena, and Ramaswamy with young son Karthik.

At a Faith and Family forum on Saturday, Vivek Ramaswamy challenged a student to match him by doing 30 push-ups

Republican presidential candidate Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks with his wife Casey DeSantis at the “Faith and Family with the Feenstras” event

Texas Pastor Ryan Binkley, a longshot candidate for the Republican nomination, also attended the event.

Iowa will hold its first caucuses in the country on January 15, making it a key state for candidates looking to challenge Donald Trump, who has a large lead in the polls.

DeSantis, Haley and Ramaswamy last appeared together in Iowa before Thanksgiving, at the Family Leader roundtable, which was an extremely friendly gathering.

Saturday's event allowed the candidates to present their cases to voters without interruption, unlike Wednesday's debate, which descended into bitter acrimony.

According to the Des Moines Register, DeSantis spoke about the role faith communities can play in public policy.

He said he has created a program in Florida that relies on churches to provide services to those in need.

“And guess what, once that happens, they won't go back for government assistance,” he said. 'They are on the road to prosperity.'

Ramaswamy took the stage to discuss his Hindu faith and predicted that a wave of non-traditional caucusgoers would support him.

He described how the core values ​​of Hinduism overlap with those of Christianity.

Republican presidential candidate businessman Vivek Ramaswamy walks onstage with his son Karthik during U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra's Faith and Family with the Feenstras event

Republican presidential candidate, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, left, speaks as her daughter Rena, right, looks on during the forum

Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy holds up a sign that reads “Nikki = Corrupt,” referring to former South Carolina Governor and UN Ambassador Nikki Haley during the final debate

“My parents instilled my faith in me from an early age, and although I probably left it behind for much of my 20s and late teens, I certainly returned to it with conviction,” he said, according to the Register.

“My faith teaches me that there is one true God, that he placed each of us here for a purpose, that we have a duty to fulfill that purpose, that God works through us. … That is the core of my Hindu faith.”

After his speech, the businessman spoke to a group of male students outside the forum, where he did his 30 push-ups after issuing his challenge.

Ramaswamy, 38, completed the challenge, although he appeared to flag noticeably on the final push-ups, video of the event shows.

Haley, who grew up in a Sikh household but now identifies as Christian, said she would put Christian values ​​at the center of her administration if elected.

The former South Carolina governor recalled the 2015 shooting at Mother Emmanuel Church in Charleston, in which a white supremacist killed nine Black churchgoers.

Haley said she had called for a state day of prayer a few days before the shooting, which she said prepared the state for the racist shooting.

After the shooting, Haley orders the removal of the Confederate flag flying outside the South Carolina State House.

“It was a difficult process, but in the end there was no violence, but vigils,” she remembers.

“We didn't have protests, we had hugs. And we showed the whole world what strength and grace look like,” with an appreciation for prayer.