Ex-South Carolina Governor, Nikki Haley, is taking a stand against Donald Trump, the former president, for his derogatory comments about her husband’s absence due to his overseas deployment. Haley is using Trump’s remarks to shed light on his history of belittling military personnel.
Although this strategy may not significantly alter the GOP primary’s dynamics before South Carolina’s February 24 primary, it underscores how Haley’s continued participation in the race is a constant irritant to Trump. Haley has been relentless in her criticism of Trump through ads, cable TV appearances, and on the campaign trail.
Through interviews, fundraising messages, and a new digital ad, Haley has portrayed Trump’s comments as a continuous pattern of disrespect towards military personnel and their service. She argues that this behavior is indicative of a potential undisciplined general election campaign and presidency.
During her appearance on “The Lead with Jake Tapper,” Haley described Trump’s comments as “disgusting,” “awful,” and “unhinged.” She stated that anyone who would make such remarks is undeserving of the title of commander in chief.
After spending most of Monday criticizing Trump, Haley expressed her concern that Trump’s comments put servicemembers at risk by implying a lack of support for them. She also highlighted his own lack of military experience.
Neither Trump nor Haley has served in the military. Trump avoided the Vietnam War draft due to five deferments, one for bone spurs and four for education. Haley’s campaign has highlighted several derogatory comments made by Trump over the years, both publicly and privately.
On Saturday, Trump questioned the absence of Haley’s husband, Michael, from the campaign trail. Michael Haley is an officer of the South Carolina Army National Guard currently deployed in support of the US Africa Command.
Despite trailing Trump by 26 points in a recent Monmouth/Washington Post poll in South Carolina, Haley’s response has shown potential areas of weakness for Trump in the general election. President Joe Biden, Trump’s likely general election opponent, defended the Haleys on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Haley’s criticisms of Trump intensified on Monday. Her campaign has fundraised off the comments, offering shirts that say “We Love Our Military” to supporters who donate $15 to her campaign. Her campaign also released a digital ad highlighting Trump’s history of disparaging remarks towards members of the military.
At campaign events in South Carolina on Monday, Haley continued to criticize Trump. “You can’t have a commander-in-chief that doesn’t understand what made this country great,” Haley said at a stop in Laurens, South Carolina. “It’s the values, it’s the sacrifice, it’s the freedom. That’s what we fight for every day.”