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Live fact-checks from Republican candidates Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley’s CNN debate in Iowa

This composite photograph shows Republican presidential candidates, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, left, and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. (AP) This composite photograph shows Republican presidential candidates, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, left, and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. (AP)

This composite photograph shows Republican presidential candidates, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, left, and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. (AP)

Ellen Hine
By Ellen Hine January 9, 2024

Read our full fact-checking of the Jan. 10 debate >

Ahead of next week’s caucuses, Republican presidential hopefuls Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley will face off in a CNN debate at 9 p.m. ET, Jan. 10, 2023, at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. 

As DeSantis and Haley are debating, frontrunner former President Donald Trump will participate in a Fox News town hall, also in Des Moines. Trump also skipped the four previous Republican debates. 

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and entrepreneur Vivek Ramawamy, who participated in the last Republican debate in December, did not qualify for Wednesday’s debate. Candidates needed at least 10% support in three CNN-approved national or Iowa polls to qualify, including one poll of likely Iowa Republican caucusgoers. 

PolitiFact will fact-check the debate live on our website and across our social media channels, including Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok and X (formerly Twitter). 

RELATED: Ron DeSantis said a NYC school displaced students to house migrants. Here’s what happened. 

RELATED: Fact-check: Haley calls out Florida’s property insurance, inflation rate in CNN debate with DeSantis 

RELATED: Debate fact-check: Ron DeSantis’ misleading claim that 8 million migrants have come in under Biden

If you prefer a roundup of Wednesday night’s notable claims, subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get our fact-checking sent straight to your inbox. 

Hear something we should check? Suggest a fact-check of a candidates’ claim by emailing [email protected]

Where can I watch the DeSantis-Haley debate and Trump’s town hall?

Wednesday night’s debate will air live on CNN, CNN.com, CNN en Español, CNN International and CNN Max. Anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash will moderate.

Trump’s town hall will air from 9 to 10 p.m ET on Fox News. Anchors Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum will moderate. 

How has PolitiFact rated DeSantis, Haley and Trump? 

Here’s how PolitiFact has rated statements made by the Republican presidential candidates using our Truth-O-Meter, which helps us rate claims based on their relative accuracy. 

Ron DeSantis has been rated 59 times since 2013.

Nikki Haley has been rated 24 times since 2012. 

Donald Trump has been rated 996 times since 2011.

 

Update: PolitiFact will not be participating in an ABC News liveblog for this debate.

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Live fact-checks from Republican candidates Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley’s CNN debate in Iowa