Trump and allies launch full-fledged assault on Haley’s presidential ambitions

US former President - Donald Trump | Credits: Reuters
US former President - Donald Trump | Credits: Reuters

United States: Donald Trump and his allies are going all out to hand Republican competitor Nikki Haley a crushing defeat in next week’s New Hampshire primary, courting her donors, slamming her in TV advertising, and using racial-themed dog whistles to insult her history.

The multi-pronged attempt is a clear indication that Trump’s presidential campaign sees Haley as a threat that must be neutralized immediately. Trump advisers have started contacting Haley’s biggest contributors, informing them that the campaign for the Republican nomination is virtually finished and that it is time to join forces.

“I get calls all the time,” said Fred Zeidman, a longtime Haley fundraiser from Texas who said Trump’s allies tell him, “We’re going to win. You’re going to lose. Don’t you want to be on the right team?”

Zeidman responded that Haley could win. “Why would I get out now?” he asked. “She’s doing everything she needs to do.”

According to polls, the New Hampshire primary on Jan. 23 will be competitive, owing in large part to Haley’s support from establishment Republicans, moderates, suburbanites, and independents, all of whom are eligible to vote. Trump continues to lead among hard-core conservatives and working-class voters.

Trump’s campaign did not reply to questions about strategy, but it appears that the goal is to guarantee Haley leaves New Hampshire with minimal momentum as the race shifts next month to South Carolina, where she served two terms as governor.

“I don’t know in my heart if I can give (Trump) financial support. I just have to be in the mood. And I’m not,” Sabin said. “I can’t like him as a person. I can’t find him likable. But I do find he was a good president.”

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Trump and his supporters have escalated their attacks on Haley during campaign events and on television.

At a rally in Atkinson, New Hampshire this week, Trump referred to Haley as a “disaster” and questioned her foreign policy qualifications.

“She was not a good negotiator,” he said. “She likes to talk about how (she) negotiated with China. I negotiated with China.”

Trump’s campaign is now recruiting former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who was harshly critical of Haley during debates, to continue his attacks on her at Trump events.

In a campaign brief released earlier this month, Trump’s campaign managers, Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles, attacked Haley as a false Republican who would have to form a coalition of “non-Republicans and Democrats” to compete.

According to Ad Impact statistics, MAGA Inc., a key Trump super PAC, increased its expenditure on negative Haley TV advertising from about $1.6 million to roughly $2.8 million between December and January, for a total of over $4.4 million over two months.

One MAGA Inc. ad accuses Haley of being soft on border security, claiming she opposes the construction of a wall along the United States border with Mexico.

The Trump team is launching television ads informing voters that Haley wants to slash Medicare and Social Security benefits, an issue that Democratic candidates generally employ against Republicans.

At a rally in Rochester, New Hampshire, on Wednesday, Haley stated unequivocally that such allegations were incorrect. She stated that she will strive to overhaul the benefit programs. She defended her immigration record, saying she has always supported the wall.

“Just because you see a commercial… it’s not true. I know Trump threw a temper tantrum about me last night, and I have seen the commercials you’ve seen,” she said at the rally. “I will always tell you the truth.”

Mocking By Name

Trump has already begun to criticize Haley’s background, as he has done with other women of color lawmakers, including Vice President Kamala Harris.

In a Truth Social post attacking Haley on Tuesday, Trump referred to her as “Nimrada” – a misspelling of her given first name, Nimarata – and claimed she gave a “whacked out” speech in Iowa, where she finished third this week behind Trump.

Haley, the daughter of two Indian immigrants, was named Nimarata Nikki Randhawa before adopting her husband’s surname. She has long used her middle name, Nikki.

As of now, Trump’s post had over 17,000 likes and has been “re-truthed” 4,000 times.

A Reuters search of “Nimarata” and variations of the name’s spelling on social media sites reveals that the name has appeared in critical Haley posts since November.

Reuters noticed an increase in those mentions in December when Haley omitted to mention slavery in her response to a New Hampshire town hall question about the basis for the Civil War, which she later walked back to.

Since Trump’s commanding victory in the Iowa caucuses, another element has emerged: donors eager to curry favor with Trump as he seeks the nomination to face Democratic President Joe Biden in the November general election.

Trump fundraiser Ed McMullen, a former ambassador to Switzerland, claimed DeSantis and Haley’s supporters are now contacting him.

Donor Dynamics and Trump’s Growing Influence

“Iowa is the catalyzing event that awakened people that it’s time to get on board,” McMullen said.

“Since Iowa, the calls have ramped up,” the donor said. “They say: ‘Come down to Mar-a-Lago, let us give you 15 minutes with Trump. Let’s put all this behind us, and let’s focus on beating Biden.’”

The donor said he was turning down the requests for now but added: “I’ll be wearing a MAGA hat by summer.”