Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in hot seat at first Republican presidential debate in US
ALSO READ: Donald Trump’s indictment: Former US president to surrender; authorities to implement ‘hard lockdown’ in the locality "He's going to be a punching bag," said Brian Darling, a Republican strategist and former senior aide to U.S. Senator Rand Paul. Darling added, "DeSantis is considered a wounded candidate going the wrong way." DeSantis will be looking to draw a line under a slow but steady slide in the polls this summer.
Meanwhile, the allies view the debate as a high-stakes opportunity to shift the narrative away from the turmoil that has gripped his campaign in recent weeks. This includes a significant staffing shake-up and introduces the governor to millions of voters who have yet to tune into the primary process. "From the campaign's perspective, he's going to be center stage.
Everyone on stage is going to be shooting at him," said one person close to DeSantis, adding, "He doesn't need a knockout blow, but he's got to take advantage of the opportunity of all this airtime." Fox News host Martha MacCallum, who will moderate the debate alongside colleague Bret Baier, had indicated in an interview with Vanity Fair last week that they will press the candidates to address Trump's four criminal indictments. As per details, the candidates are also expected to use the debate to attack China. In an interview with The Washington Post published on Wednesday, former UN Ambassador and presidential candidate Nikki Haley said she would send troops to defend Taiwan in the event of an attack by China.
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