With less than two weeks until the South Carolina primary, Nikki Haley is intensifying her criticism of Donald Trump, escalating attacks on his character and behavior.
Barnstorming through the state, Haley accused Trump of disrespecting U.S. troops, referencing his comments insinuating that her husband deployed overseas to escape her and suggesting he would encourage Russian aggression against non-contributing U.S. allies in Europe.
During a campaign stop in Elgin, S.C., Haley asserted, “The most harm he’s ever come across is whether a golf ball hits him on a golf cart, and you’re going to go and mock our men and women in the military?”
Nikki Haley (Credits: ABC Columbia)
In response, Trump took to his social media site, dismissing her campaign as “an embarrassment to her wonderful husband” and targeting her marriage.
Haley has adopted a more aggressive strategy, marking a stark shift from her earlier approach. Initially, when entering the race last year, she refrained from explicit criticism of Trump.
However, as the last candidate standing against him after Ron DeSantis’s exit from the race, she began asserting that Trump and Biden were equally detrimental to the country.
Following her loss to Trump in the New Hampshire primary, she characterized his reaction as a “temper tantrum” and recently escalated attacks on his age and mental acuity, alleging “mental deficiencies.”
Despite Haley’s heightened critique, Trump maintains a significant lead of over 30 points in South Carolina polls, her home state. The challenge becomes more daunting for her in subsequent major contests, with recent polls in Texas showing her with less than 20 percent support.
Trump, focusing on tightening his control over the Republican Party, has endorsed his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, for co-chair of the Republican National Committee, signaling a potential change in leadership after the South Carolina primary. Ronna McDaniel, the current chairwoman, has faced widespread criticism.
As the primary approaches, Haley faces an uphill battle in shifting the dynamics against the dominant Trump. The intensified rhetoric between the two reflects the broader struggle within the Republican Party as it grapples with its post-Trump identity.
