Republican debate: DeSantis PAC hits Haley over transgender stance before GOP showdown

EXCLUSIVE — The super PAC supporting Gov. Ron DeSantis‘s (R-FL) presidential campaign, Never Back Down, will highlight former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley’s stance on the issue of transgender youth in a new video ad hours before the fourth Republican National Committee debate in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

The 60-second video, premiering on digital platforms before the debate, features instances when Haley was asked about children dealing with gender dysphoria. “Let’s get them the help — the therapy, whatever they need so that they can feel better and not be suicidal,” she said of transgender youth in one clip.

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“Nikki Haley (she/her) doesn’t fight the left’s agenda because she’s being bankrolled by woke billionaires and Wall Street Democrats,” Never Back Down said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. “As governor, she killed a bill to keep men out of girls’ bathrooms and this year she sided with Disney and opposed the law that Ron DeSantis passed to protect children from being subjected to chemical castration, anti-puberty drugs, double mastectomies, and genital mutilation surgeries. Only Ron DeSantis has a proven record of standing against the left’s transgender ideology, and winning.”

In another clip, Haley was asked about “what care should be on the table” and what the law should allow when a 12-year-old believes themselves to be transgender. “I think the law should stay out of it,” Haley said in the video.

The spot then pivots to DeSantis, playing footage of the governor touting the fact that “We have prohibited puberty blockers and operations on gender for minors.”

“They’re telling parents, you got to do these interventions. Otherwise, your kid’s gonna commit suicide,” DeSantis said in a different clip. “That’s false. You have a 14-year-old girl. You’re not affirming her gender. You’re trying to mutilate her to change her gender.”

The new video ad comes as DeSantis and other Haley opponents brand her as a “moderate” who is soft on conservative issues, namely social issues such as transgenderism.

Haley’s campaign responded to the ad, with Communications Director Nachama Soloveichik saying in a statement, “With his poll numbers plummeting and his campaign imploding, Ron DeSantis is desperately throwing lies at the wall, hoping something will stick. Spoiler alert: It won’t. Nikki Haley has long said she opposes gender-changing surgeries for minors. Bald-faced lies won’t save DeSantis.”

The campaign also pointed to an interview with ABC News, where Haley said, “You shouldn’t allow a child to have a gender-changing procedure till the age of 18 when they are an adult and they can make that decision. But we shouldn’t have taxpayer dollars ever going to that.”

According to Haley’s team, the PAC’s ad takes her comments in a summer interview with CBS out of context, leaving out her belief that nothing should be done before the age of 18.

DeSantis and Haley are duking it out to be the one to take on former President Donald Trump in the 2024 Republican primary. The two are running out of time to make their respective arguments to donors and voters, who are increasingly urging Republicans to narrow the field and determine one Trump alternative who supporters can coalesce behind.

Earlier Wednesday, Haley’s campaign released its own digital ad attacking DeSantis over the internal turmoil within his campaign and super PAC alongside his declining poll numbers and lack of momentum.

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Haley and DeSantis will once again face off Wednesday night at 8 p.m. during the Republican debate. Moderator Megyn Kelly previewed the matchup to the Washington Examiner, hinting that some untouched topics would be explored.

Kelly has become a significant voice against the transgender movement, calling it the women’s rights issue of this era. While she didn’t reveal which topics would come up at the event, it’s possible transgenderism is on the list, in which case a fiery back-and-forth between DeSantis and Haley is expected.