GOP contenders make final push in Iowa with 4 days until caucuses

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• Geoff Bennett:

  With just four days until the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses, the Republican presidential field continues to shrink and the remaining candidates are making their closing arguments.

  Lisa Desjardins reports on the candidates and their messages.

  Nikki Haley (R), Presidential Candidate: We have campaigned in Iowa for 11 months.

  Gov. Ron Desantis (R-FL), Presidential Candidate: Probably a little rare. Us Floridians usually don't go north in January.

• Lisa Desjardins:

  The GOP hopefuls on a last campaign sprint in the Hawkeye State.

• Nikki Haley:

  So, on the 15th, on Monday, it's going to be so cold.

  (Laughter)

• Nikki Haley:

  Like, I don't even know what negative-15 is.

  (Laughter)

• Lisa Desjardins:

  Reminding Iowans that they're a long way from home.

• Gov. Ron Desantis:

  I actually do have a winter coat, believe it or not, to go over the suit. And it's pretty nice. And I left the winter coat in Tallahassee, so they're now doing an operation to be able to get that winter coat up.

• Lisa Desjardins:

  Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley met face-to-face last night.

• Nikki Haley:

  Bless his heart. DeSantislies.com.

• Lisa Desjardins:

  Trading barbs in a deeply personal debate.

• Gov. Ron Desantis:

  We don't need another mealymouthed politician who just tells you what she thinks you want to hear.

• Lisa Desjardins:

  The only two candidates on stage, at times talking over each other to argue about who is the alternative to the party's front-runner, Donald Trump .

• Gov. Ron Desantis:

  Leadership is about getting things done. Stop making excuses. Make it happen.

  (Cheering and applause)

• Nikki Haley:

  If leadership is about getting things done, how did you blow through $150 million in your campaign and you were down in the polls? You are not a manager.

  (Crosstalk)

• Gov. Ron Desantis:

  So, here's — I think this is very instructive. I think this is very instructive what Nikki — how Nikki Haley sees the world.

  (Crosstalk)

• Nikki Haley:

  No, if he's going to do this — I think I hit a nerve.

• Lisa Desjardins:

  The two sparred on nearly every issue, from funding for Ukraine's defense against Russia.

• Nikki Haley:

  This is about keeping Americans safe. This is about preventing war.

• Gov. Ron Desantis:

  You can take the ambassador out of the United Nations, but you can't take the United Nations out of the ambassador.

  (Cheering and applause)

• Lisa Desjardins:

  To abortion.

• Gov. Ron Desantis:

  When she says things like pro-lifers need to stop talking about throwing women in jail, that's a trope. That's using the language of the left to try to attack pro-lifers. So I think that that is wrong.

• Nikki Haley:

  These fellows don't know how to talk about abortion. I have said over and over again the Democrats put fear in women on abortion, and Republicans have used judgment. This is too personal of an issue to put fear or judgment.

• Lisa Desjardins:

  Both candidates mostly pulled their punches on Trump, sidestepping questions about whether he has the character to be president.

  But Haley gave her most pointed criticism yet on one issue, Trump's handling of the 2020 election.

• Nikki Haley:

  That election, Trump lost it. Biden won that election. I think what happened on January 6 was a terrible day. And I think President Trump will have to answer for it.

• Lisa Desjardins:

  DeSantis pivoted, not questioning Trump's actions, but saying he is vulnerable.

• Gov. Ron Desantis:

  If Trump is the nominee, it's going to be about January 6, legal issues, criminal trials. The Democrats and the media would love to run with that.

  Fmr. Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ), Former Presidential Candidate: Good evening. Good evening. Thank you all for coming tonight.

• Lisa Desjardins:

  The mild attacks were even starker because, hours earlier, Trump's sharpest GOP critic, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who had not qualified for the debate, ended his presidential campaign.

• Fmr. Gov. Chris Christie:

  I'm going to make sure that in no way do I enable Donald Trump to ever be president of the United States again. And that's more important than my own personal ambition.

  (Applause)

• Lisa Desjardins:

  Haley's campaign hopes to gain support and momentum from Christie's departure. But in a frank assessment caught in a hot mic moment, Christie made clear his doubts that neither DeSantis…

• Fmr. Gov. Chris Christie:

  DeSantis called me, petrified.

• Lisa Desjardins:

  … nor Haley are capable of taking on Trump.

• Fmr. Gov. Chris Christie:

  She's going to get smoked, and you and I both know it. She's not up to this.

• Lisa Desjardins:

  Trump, who skipped his fifth debate in a row, again aimed to be seen as in his own category.

• Bret Baier, FOX News Anchor:

  Welcome to Des Moines, Iowa. Good evening.

• Lisa Desjardins:

  With a commanding 30 point lead, Trump participated in a solo town hall on FOX News, answering question from voters and walking back some recent comments that have drawn criticism.

  Donald Trump , Former President of the United States (R) and Current U.S. Presidential Candidate: I am not going to be a dictator. I'm not going to have time for retribution.

• Lisa Desjardins:

  He once again took credit for overturning Roe v. Wade after appointing three justices to the Supreme Court.

• Donald Trump :

  I'm proud to have done it.

• Lisa Desjardins:

  While saying he'd support abortion exceptions and oppose so-called fetal heartbeat bans, like the one signed by DeSantis in Florida.

• Donald Trump :

  If you talk five or six weeks, a lot of women don't know they're pregnant in five or six weeks. I want to get something where people are happy.

  We still have to win elections, and they have used this — you know, we have some great Republicans and they're great on the issue. And you would love them on the issue. And a lot of them have just been decimated in the election, decimated.

• Lisa Desjardins:

  As the field narrows, the remaining candidates have just a few short days to convince any undecided Iowans. And after last night's fiery debate, they will battle subzero temperatures as they work to get their supporters to show up on a frigid Monday night.

• Geoff Bennett:

  And Lisa joins us now from Iowa.

  Lisa, it's good to see you. I know you have been reporting all day while you have been on the ground there. What's your sense of where this race is and if Chris Christie's exit from the race has had any impact?

• Lisa Desjardins:

  I will say, talking to the campaigns, there is a sense that Chris Christie could have an impact, perhaps on Nikki Haley, which is what we expected, but not here in Iowa.

  Chris Christie really hasn't been competing in this state. So there's a lot of consideration about what would happen next in New Hampshire, where he does have significant numbers. And speaking to an official from the Trump campaign, they're trying to dismiss the idea that Christie is a big help for Haley.

  And here's how they put it. They say Chris Christie's voters, to them, are mostly Democrats, who won't vote as Republicans in New Hampshire anyway. Of course, it's in their interest to say that, but clearly they're paying attention to this departure. Clearly, it comes at a moment where Nikki Haley could use a boost to show not only can she get into second place, but that she can compete with President Trump, former President Trump, and his lead.

  Now, as for things here in Iowa, it also is a story about Nikki Haley. Speaking to a couple of campaign officials here, from their internal polling, it matches what we saw today in a Suffolk poll that shows Nikki Haley in second place and by more than the margin of error.

  Now, at the same time, Ron DeSantis is crisscrossing this state like no other. He has a slew of events. His supporters think he can make up that distance because of his organization. They think they will get their people out here on Monday night better than anyone.

• Geoff Bennett:

  And, Lisa, looking at the snow capped roofs behind you, I'm reminded that Monday is expected to be the coldest Iowa caucus ever. Are the campaigns worried about whether that will affect turnout?

• Lisa Desjardins:

  There is a concern about that.

  It will be a test of enthusiasm for every single campaign, as you say, the coldest ever. Right now, as I speak to you, it is a balmy 24 degrees and going down. And this will by far be the warmest day that we have from here until Monday. There also will be a snowfall all day tomorrow.

  These folks in Iowa, of course, they know what to do with this. The idea is that the snow will be cleared from parking lots. Voters will be able to attend the caucuses. But campaigns are making some kind of — using some resources to try and make sure that, in difficult places, they can get their voters there.

  It will be a test of the campaigns' enthusiasm and, by the way, of Iowans' enthusiasm for this process, as the nation again looks at Iowa to decide if it should continue to have this role for the Republican Party.

• Geoff Bennett:

  That's Lisa Desjardins reporting on the ground in Iowa tonight for us.

  Lisa, thanks so much.