Republican New York Rep. Elise Stefanik on Saturday walked back Republican front-runner Donald Trump's Friday gaffe that upset the president's rival Nikki Haley and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. did.
Stefanik said it was “not a mix-up” that Trump said Haley's name instead of Pelosi, and rejected speculation that Trump “lost a step” during the interview. NBC News.
“The reality is that Nikki Haley, like Nancy Pelosi, is relying on the Democratic Party to put on a desperate performance,” Stefanik said.
“President Trump hasn't given up an inch,” Stefanik insisted. “He's the better candidate.”
Elise Stefanik:
“You and I both know, and Joe Biden knows, that Donald Trump will win this November.” pic.twitter.com/ogLkZEbieD
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) January 20, 2024
President Trump falsely told an audience in New Hampshire on Friday that Haley was in charge of the law enforcement response to Friday's apparently chaotic Capitol riot. The Biden campaign has slammed President Trump's gaffes on social media, intentionally criticizing Pelosi without contesting her claims that she deleted evidence related to the January 6 riot. I have corrected what I mentioned.
“Nikki Haley, Nikki Haley, Nikki Haley, do they know? Do you know that they destroyed all the information and all the evidence?” Trump said. “Everything. We deleted everything and destroyed it. It's all because of a lot of things. Like Nikki Haley is in charge of security. We gave her 10,000 people, soldiers, National Guard, they We offered them whatever they wanted. They turned it down. They don't want to talk about it. They're very dishonest people.”
Trump reportedly gave a nod to Stefanik's proposal to be his running mate during a candlelight dinner with members of Mar-a-Lago in late December. NBC News. The Republican front-runner called the New York congressman a “murderer,” according to a person who attended the event. (Related: 'Her Presidency Was Unsustainable': Elise Stefanik Says 'Morally Bankrupt' Testimony Led to Harvard University President's Ouster)
President Trump appeared to dismiss the idea of Haley as vice president at the same Friday rally where he made the gaffe, claiming the former South Carolina governor was “not tough” enough to be his running mate. Haley gave her clearest answer yet about being open to becoming Trump's vice president early Friday, saying she “wouldn't do it again.”
