Ron DeSantis calls out Donald Trump over abortion, border debates during town hall: 5 takeaways

Ron DeSantis is fighting a two-pronged primary battle going into the final five weeks before the pivotal Iowa caucus.

The Florida governor remains well behind the Republican frontrunner, former President Donald Trump. But DeSantis is also fending off former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley who is surging with conservatives still looking for an alternative.

During an hourlong CNN town hall Tuesday, DeSantis tried to take Trump to task. He reminded voters assembled at Grand View University in Des Moines, Iowa, how the former president has ducked every GOP primary debate ahead of 2024.

"Nobody is entitled to this nomination," DeSantis said. "You've got to earn this nomination, and part of the way you do it is you show up, you answer people's questions."

The governor's emphasis on Trump demonstrates how DeSantis' campaign is putting everything into the Hawkeye State, where he has nabbed an endorsement from Gov. Kim Reynolds and recently pitched voters on school choice for parents.

But the 45-year-old Navy veteran remains behind the former president, according to a new Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa Poll. DeSantis trails Trump by 35 percentage points among likely Republican caucus participants.

But the survey did find he has scooted ahead of Haley by about 3 percentage points, after being tied with her in October.

Here are the five key takeaways from Tuesday's event.

'Huge mistake': Ron DeSantis rips Donald Trump on COVID, border, etc.

DeSantis repeatedly used voter questions during the town hall to argue that he's a better option than Trump on a host of issues facing the nation, often unprovoked.

Asked about his views on abortion, the Florida Republican accused Trump of "flip flopping on the right to life." DeSantis pointed out how, as president, Trump spoke at an anti-abortion rally in 2020 where he proclaimed that a woman's womb was a, "glimpse the majesty of God’s creation."

"Now he has attacked states that have enacted protections, like heartbeat bills, as being a terrible, terrible thing," DeSantis said, referencing legislation restricting abortions.

In the early stages of the GOP primary, DeSantis was often reluctant to criticize the frontrunner, but the Tuesday campaign stop made it clear that's no longer the case.

Whether on implementing COVID-19 policies, repealing the Affordable Care Act or building a fortified wall at the U.S.-Mexico border, DeSantis cast the 45th president as a failure.

"I'm the only one running that can beat Trump one on one," he said. "Why? Because the other candidates cannot get enough support from core Republicans and traditional conservatives to be able to go. You can't just win with a slice of the party. You got to have broad support."

Israel over Ukraine

Congress remains divided over foreign aid to Ukraine and Israel, as GOP lawmakers seek to tie those resources to border and immigration demands.

DeSantis during the Tuesday event was prodded by a voter over which of the two foreign allies is more deserving, and he didn't hesitate.

"Well, for me, that's an easy answer," DeSantis said. "It's the state of Israel because they are our strongest ally in the Middle East."

Both countries are engaged in fierce fighting in their respective regions. Ukraine is holding off an invasion by Russia, and Israel is bombarding Gaza after the Oct. 7 attacks by the terrorist group Hamas.

In DeSantis' view, the U.S. has a unique relationship with Israel, whereas Ukraine should seek help from its European allies first.

"Ukraine has all of Europe, these European countries need to start pulling their weight," he said.

DeSantis also defended GOP lawmakers who've blocked additional funding to both countries over U.S. border security, saying if elected he will declare America's southern border a national emergency on day one of his administration.

Ron DeSantis goes after Nikki Haley

Trump's dominance has eclipsed the 2024 GOP primary contest, but there is a mini-primary between DeSantis and Haley, who have recently ramped up attacks against each other.

Haley, a former South Carolina governor, has said DeSantis and Trump are "not being honest with the American people" on needed changes to Social Security and other entitlement programs. That attracted a response from DeSantis, who said she wants to "jack" up the retirement age, even as U.S. life expectancy has declined when compared to pre-pandemic levels.

DeSantis had sharper words when asked about her receiving the coveted endorsement of New Hampshire's popular Republican Gov. Chris Sununu. He reminded the audience in Iowa that Haley has also received support from Democratic donors, before referring to her as an "establishment candidate."

"She's getting all these folks that are going to her," DeSantis said. "Guess what, guys? Those folks do not want to see conservative change in this country."

Texas abortion case is about compassion

The story of Kate Cox, a Dallas-area mother carrying a fetus with a fatal condition, has gripped the country's attention given Texas's near-total abortion ban.

Cox's attorney said that carrying the fetus to term could compromise her future fertility and also put her life in danger, but the Texas Supreme Court ruled that she could not obtain an abortion. Cox reportedly left the state to obtain the procedure.

When asked about the case, DeSantis said the country must, "approach these issues with compassion." He pointed out how the Florida's abortion laws contain exemptions, including for rape, incest and severe medical emergencies.

"If you're in that situation, as a mother, that's an incredibly difficult thing to have to deal with," he said.

Casey DeSantis' cancer diagnosis

Political observers have often noted DeSantis has had awkward moments with voters on the campaign trail.

That gave way to a response on Tuesday when he was asked by the moderator, CNN's Jake Tapper, about Casey DeSantis' battle with breast cancer that began in 2021.

The governor noted how the doctor initially cleared his wife, but she "fought for herself" to get a second opinion.

"As a husband, I'm there doing what I can to be the helping hand, but you almost wish like I could do a chemo for her so she didn't have to do it all this time," he said.

DeSantis mentioned how the diagnosis was especially difficult at the time given their children were very young. Casey DeSantis was cleared as cancer free in 2022, and she smiled from the audience as her husband talked about their family's experience.