- Florida's governor said inviting large numbers of people from societies that hate the West is a bad idea
- DeSantis said he firmly opposes removing immigrants who “reject American culture,” including Palestinians, from the Gaza Strip
During Wednesday night's final GOP debate of 2023, the candidates pulled out their best one-liners and insults as they tried to pitch themselves to the American people one more time.
Ron DeSantis had what is widely regarded as a good night, expanding on his stance on US immigration by saying Europe is “committing suicide with mass immigration.”
In a response about setting limits on legal and illegal immigration to the US, the governor of Florida said: “Look what has happened in Europe: there is more anti-Semitism in Germany than at any time since Adolf Hitler.
'Why? Because they imported massive numbers of people who reject their culture. Europe is committing suicide.'
DeSantis was likely referring to the rapid influx of Muslims to various parts of Europe in the past few years, and to the Islamist extremists who want to destroy the West.
“We should not import people from hostile cultures,” he said later, going on to talk about absolutely rejecting the idea of accepting Palestinians displaced by the ongoing war in the Middle East.
'We are not taking anyone out of Gaza, because of anti-Semitism! And because they reject American culture,” he continued.
'We have to deal with this smartly. We cannot make the United States look like Europe.”
He used his response time not only to blast the immigration policies of the US's closest ally, but also to target Nikki Haley.
The leader of the Sunshine State, who currently trails Donald Trump in his home state by about 30 points, accused Haley of saying there should be “no limits on legal immigration, and corporate CEOs should tailor policies accordingly.”
'That is not true. Stop lying,” replied Haley, the former US ambassador to the UN during the Trump administration.
Speaking about the issue of illegal immigration into the United States through the southern border — where we know tens of thousands of migrants are pouring into the country every week — DeSantis said authorities absolutely have the ability to deport anyone in this country who is here illegally. .'
“That's what I did as governor of South Carolina,” Haley quickly interjected before posing the question to former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.
The Florida governor is currently trailing Donald Trump by about 30 points in his home state
DeSantis used his response time not only to blast the immigration policies of the U.S.'s closest ally, but also to target Nikki Haley.
During Wednesday night's final GOP debate of 2023, the candidates pulled out their best one-liners and insults as they tried to pitch themselves to the American people one more time.
Nikki Haley – who has blossomed in recent weeks – was criticized throughout the evening from all sides, but especially from DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy, who called her a corporate puppet.
DeSantis accused Haley of failing to support a ban on gender-affirming medical care for young people and opposing restroom laws during her governorship, both of which she denied.
And he wondered whether she would act in the best interests of ordinary Americans or Wall Street donors.
“We know from her history that Nikki will give in to those big donors when push comes to shove, and that is not acceptable,” DeSantis said.
Ramaswamy hit her even harder, also citing her support from major donors and her time on the Boeing Co. board. brought up, suggesting she was bankrupt when she left office.
“The bottom line is you are corrupt,” he said.
Haley was ready for that offensive line.
“And when it comes to the donors who support me, they're just jealous,” she told the crowd. “They wish they supported them.”