The Republicans vying to become the alternative to former President Donald Trump will get together for what an influential Christian organization in Iowa is billing as a friendly conversation on politics and their world views, The Telegraph reports.
Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy will speak at a “family discussion” roundtable in Des Moines on Friday. Trump has also been invited to participate, but it is unknown if he will join the discussion.
With less than two months to go until the Iowa caucuses that open the presidential nomination calendar, the field around Trump is narrowing. In a sign that tensions are rising, many of Trump’s rivals are increasingly throwing barbs at each other that often turn personal.
This week, Ramaswamy and DeSantis criticised Haley after she said on Tuesday that social media companies should ban people from posting anonymous messages online.
Ramaswamy called the idea “disgusting,” while DeSantis wrote on social media that the proposal is “dangerous and unconstitutional.” During the last debate, there were frequent altercations between candidates Ramaswamy and Haley. Which culminated with Haley calling Ramaswamy “scum” after he attacked her daughter for using TikTok, a video-sharing app that many Republicans want to ban because of its ties to China.
Moreover, the rivalry between DeSantis and Haley is intensifying, with both sides fighting hard for big donors and arguing over who can beat Trump in the election.
Bob Vander Plaats, president and CEO of the influential Family Leader, said:
“The Family Forum will put candidates at one table to give Iowans a chance to see what’s in the candidates’ hearts, not just in their plans.”
Family Leader stressed that the event was not a debate after the Republican National Committee’s legal office distributed a letter to campaigns on October 28 reminding them of candidates’ commitment not to participate in unsanctioned debates and warning that participation in the Family Leader forum would disqualify them from future RNC debates.
After DeSantis agreed to participate in the debate last Friday, Vander Plaats wrote on social media and the RNC released a second letter to the campaigns saying they had come to an agreement on the format and the forum would be held as planned.
Trump, who is a major contender for the Republican Party’s nomination in 2024, has skipped all three primary debates so far and has instead held large rallies to get the attention of his supporters, as he will do on Saturday in Fort Dodge, Iowa.
