Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has chided Nikki Haley for her ties to China as they fight for second place in the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
But a super PAC supporting Haley, former South Carolina governor and U.N. ambassador, is turning the tables on DeSantis, with a new ad knocking him for saying China is Florida's most important trading partner and for the expansion of a Chinese-owned U.S. subsidiary near a U.S. military base in the state.
The 30-second ad, which was posted on X by the pro-Haley super PAC Stand For America, starts with a female narrator saying, "Ron DeSantis is lying because he's losing."
"DeSantis called China Florida's most important trading partner," the narrator continues. "DeSantis even allowed a Chinese military contractor to expand just miles from a U.S. naval base. Phony Ron DeSantis. Too lame to lead. Too weak to win."
Haley and DeSantis sparred over cozying up to China during the fourth GOP primary debates, with each accusing the other of not being tough enough on Beijing.
"Nikki Haley's ad is full of debunked lies about Ron DeSantis' record and reeks of desperation to distract from her own disastrous pro-China record," DeSantis press secretary Bryan Griffin told The Hill. "She invited China to her state, gave away land, and even stood in front of the Chinese flag and said, 'I now work for you.'"
Haley and DeSantis have been unable to gain any ground on former President Donald Trump with the Iowa caucus kicking off the GOP primary schedule on Jan. 15. Trump has a commanding lead in Iowa in the latest FiveThirtyEight aggregate of polls with 50%, followed by DeSantis (18.4%) and Haley (15.7%).
Haley is faring far better in New Hampshire and DeSantis far worse, although Trump still leads the FiveThirtyEight aggregate with 44.1%. Haley (25.7%) is next, followed by former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (11.1%) and DeSantis (7.6%).
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.