Blending sports and politics, Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis began his CNN town hall in Des Moines, Iowa, on Thursday with an unusual gesture towards host Kaitlan Collins. DeSantis, known for his often unorthodox approaches, presented Collins with a basketball jersey bearing the name of Caitlin Clark, the star player for Iowa women's basketball.

The gesture was not just a nod to sports but also a subtle jab at fellow Republican Nikki Haley. The context behind this move goes back to an incident where Haley mistakenly praised CNN anchor Collins instead of Caitlin Clark at a rally in late December.

Seizing the opportunity, DeSantis said, “So, I heard the other day someone say that Kaitlan Collins had some basketball skills. Now, I don’t know if that was a mistake or not, but I know in Iowa they have a Caitlin Clark, so I just wanted to give you this as a memento.”

He then added, per Charlie Nash of Mediaite, “And just respectfully, if the game’s on the line and we need a buzzer beater, I’m going with Clark over Collins.”

Collins accepted the jersey, acknowledging Clark's superior basketball abilities.

“Rest assured, her free throws and her threes are much better than mine, governor. But thank you so much for that. Thank you. And good luck to her playing against Rutgers on Friday night,” Collins said.

However, the town hall quickly shifted to a more somber tone as Collins directed the conversation towards a recent tragedy. A school shooting at Perry High School, just 45 minutes from the town hall venue, had resulted in the death of a sixth grader and injuries to five others, including a school administrator.