Nearly a year into the 2024 Republican presidential campaign and with just days to go before caucuses begin in Iowa, Donald Trump s top two opponents on Wednesday night finally began using his behavior on Jan. 6, 2021, and the legal consequences he faces for the coup attempt against him.

I think what happened on Jan. 6 was a terrible day, and I think President Trump will have to answer for it, said former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who also stated a fact that has become heresy among Trump and his followers: That election, Trump lost it. Biden won that election.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, while not directly criticizing Trump, pointed out that his criminal prosecutions could create problems for Republicans come November and predicted hes likely to be convicted by a District of Columbia jury on charges related to the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. What are we going to do as Republicans in terms of who we nominate for president? If Trump is the nominee, its going to be about Jan. 6, legal issues, criminal trials. The Democrats and the media would love to run with that.

The new, tougher approach came near the end of CNN s debate at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa and just hours after former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie dropped out of the race after shaming his opponents for being too afraid to take on Trump the way he had.

Trump had been invited to the debate but chose not to attend, just as he skipped all four debates sponsored by the Republican National Committee last year.

DeSantis, who a year ago was actually leading Trump in a number of national and early-voting-state polls, has seen his support erode over the months. He is essentially tied with Haley in Iowa in the mid-teens, with Trump holding a commanding lead of some 30 percentage points.