Ron DeSantis discusses key GOP policies and how he would unite the country as president

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) participated in a town hall Tuesday in Iowa just over a month out from the state’s Republican caucuses on Jan. 15.

The Florida governor fielded questions from Iowa voters at Grand View University in Des Moines as part of the CNN town hall. DeSantis touched on topics ranging from abortion to shooting cartel members, and he presented a measured appearance compared to previous similar events. The event was moderated by CNN’s Jake Tapper.

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Early stages of town hall

The evening started with DeSantis addressing foreign policy matters, particularly the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. He said Israel would take precedence in regard to aid. Fighting Russia is in the United States’s interest, DeSantis said, and he noted he is against Russia but argued the rest of Europe should be contributing to the fight as well.

DeSantis blamed worldwide criticism of Israel for its actions in Gaza on antisemitism, turning his focus on the United Nations in particular. As for civilian casualties, he blamed them entirely on Hamas for putting people in harm’s way, saying Hamas intends to carry out a “second Holocaust.” The Florida governor also voiced opposition to a two-state solution.

“I don’t think you can have a two-state solution … when the Arab Palestinians will view it as a stepping stone for the destruction of Israel,” he said.

Tapper asked DeSantis about his previous pledge to shoot cartel members at the border “stone-cold dead,” asking how such an order would be carried out and whether it was legal. The Florida governor avoided controversy courted in the fourth GOP debate when he referred to Arab men’s clothes as “man dresses,” but he kept the sentiment, saying everyone in Iraq “dressed the same,” leading to difficulty identifying suspected terrorists.

DeSantis said he would mobilize intelligence operations like never before to identify cartel members at the border.

On Social Security

DeSantis said older people have earned their Social Security, saying, “A promise made is a promise kept.” He condemned Congress for stripping Social Security of money via IOUs and inflation. Bringing down inflation and getting control of the national debt would help fix the incoming Social Security crisis and ensure retirees have access to their earned payments, DeSantis said.

He took aim at Haley on the topic, pointing to her quote that the retirement age is “way, way, way too low,” positioning himself against her.

On abortion

DeSantis touted the strict abortion policies that his administration passed in Florida and turned his attention to former President Donald Trump.

He slammed Trump for “flip-flopping” on the topic of abortion, even questioning his honesty when making previous remarks.

“He has not been consistent, and I think there’s a lot of voters in Iowa, who really care about this, who need to know how he’s changed his position,” DeSantis said.

On uniting the country

DeSantis condemned Trump’s famous tweeting while in office, saying it created unnecessary division.

“We need to focus on principle, we need to aim higher.”

The Florida Republican pledged instead to focus on bipartisanship, saying he would work with his opponents whenever possible.

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The town hall came amid the backdrop of DeSantis vying to maintain second place in the polls.

As of Tuesday, FiveThirtyEight had Trump commanding the vote in the GOP primary field. Support for the former president ticked up to 61.7%, and DeSantis had 12.2% of support. DeSantis was followed closely by Haley, who garnered 11.3% of support.