‘She’s Gaining, You’re Not’: Fox’s Cavuto Confronts DeSantis About Nikki Haley’s Surge in the Polls

Fox News’s Neil Cavuto interviewed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) on Tuesday and asked how foreign policy is figuring into the 2024 GOP primary.

Cavuto pressed DeSantis hard on his position regarding Ukraine and contrasted his varied statements on the conflict to 2024 presidential opponent Nikki Haley’s unequivocal support for Ukraine.

“I only ask you that in the context of the ’24 race, governor, because Nikki Haley has emerged as a strong polling favorite, she’s tied with you in Iowa, and that has come really following her very tough talk of not only supporting Israel and Ukraine, but backing them both up with the money they need and not debating the issue,” Cavuto noted, adding:

Now, do you fear you’re kind of threading the needle on this is hurting you, that she’s clear, you’re not, she’s gaining, you’re not. She’s seen as an acceptable number two to Donald Trump. You’re not.

“Well, actually, I’ve been much clearer on Israel. I mean, I said from the beginning, no Gaza refugees. You know, she said that America has been able to separate terrorists from freedom fighters. And that’s what we have to do now. She backtracked on that. But I’ve been very clear, no refugees,” DeSantis replied, before repeating some of his stances on the conflict:

We’ve also been very clear, canceling student visas for pro-Hamas demonstrators. I’ve also been very clear no taxpayer money to Hamas. They say it’s humanitarian assistance, but the reality is Hamas will commandeer that and they will use that to advance terrorism, which which what they’ve been doing for over a decade. So we’ve been leading on all those issues. We’ve been standing very strong for the US-Israel relationship.

Cavuto followed up with another question about Ukraine, saying, “So when it comes to Ukraine, just to be clear, governor, Putin might be a big threat. But for Israel right now, what they’re going through is a bigger threat. And that’s where you draw the line and the money that is spent in that regard?”

“Well, what I would say this, Neil, is Israel is one of our strongest allies. We have a unique relationship with them. I think we have a lot of allies in Europe who have an interest in the Russia Ukraine [sic]. I think Europe needs to do more. Some countries like Poland have done a lot, but others have lagged. So I just think the relationships are different in terms of that,” DeSantis replied in vague terms.

Watch the full clip above via Fox News.