In a recent interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper on “The Lead”, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley expressed her disapproval of Donald Trump and his allies for their extravagant spending of over $50 million in political contributions on Trump’s legal fees. Haley described the expenditure as “unconscionable” and suggested that Trump’s limited campaign schedule was a result of financial constraints.
“The fact that a candidate would spend $50 million in legal fees is beyond comprehension,” Haley stated. “This explains why he’s not holding many rallies. He doesn’t have the funds to do so. It also explains his reluctance to participate in debates, as he doesn’t want to discuss why he’s spending so much.”
Haley also speculated that Trump’s frustration following the New Hampshire primary, despite his decisive victory, is rooted in his financial situation and his desire for all donor contributions to start flowing directly to him, reducing his own expenditure.
Despite Trump’s victories in both the Iowa caucuses and the Granite State primary, Haley, his last significant rival, remains determined to stay in the race and build momentum. She aims to start with a strong performance in her home state of South Carolina on February 24, followed by Super Tuesday in March.
However, a recent Washington Post-Monmouth University poll showed Trump leading by 26 points in South Carolina, with 58% to Haley’s 32%, just over three weeks before the vote. Haley, while not explicitly committing to stay in the race regardless of the results, expressed confidence in closing the gap in South Carolina and improving her performance as the race progresses.
“I’m not going anywhere because I don’t want my children, or anyone else’s children, to live like this,” Haley said. “We have been in a state of constant distraction for a long time, and we know that when America is distracted, the world becomes less safe.”
In a positive development for Haley, a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS found her leading President Joe Biden among registered voters in a national survey, with a hypothetical matchup result of 52% to 39%. Trump’s lead over Biden was considerably smaller, at 49% to 45%, just outside the survey’s margin of error.
Haley has consistently argued that she is a better candidate than Trump to defeat Biden and could help the GOP regain control of Congress and state governments. She reiterated this point before shifting her focus to another frequent criticism of Biden and Trump.
“The idea of having two 80-year-old candidates is absurd,” Haley said. “We need someone who can work for eight years to get our country back on track and heal our nation.”
When asked if her repeated references to the ages of her current and potential rivals might backfire, Haley said she believed older voters understood her point. “It’s not about being disrespectful, it’s about needing people at the top of their game,” she said.
Haley also directly criticized Biden’s handling of Israel’s war in Gaza and his recent decision to impose sanctions and visa restrictions on violent Israeli settlers in the West Bank. “It’s unbelievable to me that Joe Biden is going to focus on Israel,” Haley said. The ongoing Israeli assault in Gaza has resulted in the deaths of over 25,000 people, according to statistics from the Hamas-run health ministry.