As the field of candidates in the Republican presidential primary narrows down, former President Donald Trump doubled down on his attacks on fellow candidate Nikki Haley in an interview with Fox News host Bret Baier on Saturday night.
After a campaign rally in New Hampshire, Mr. Baier asked Mr. Trump about the recent attacks on Ms. Haley's birth name. Baier pointed out that Haley defended herself by saying that Trump once praised her when she served as ambassador to the United Nations, but the former president insisted that Haley had done so. did. nickname For “many people”. (Related: 'There's no love for me': Nikki Haley reacts to snub of support from home state)
“She pointed out that you were complimenting her and now she said you were using a nickname based on her real name, Nimrata. I called her 'Nimbla' in a recent post. Seed. why do you do that? ” asked Mr. Byer.
“Well, I do it with a lot of people like Hutchinson. I mean, for about a year, his turnout was zero, so I told him I called him Ada Hutchinson, not Asa. But that felt really good to me. And in her case, it just came along and took a little bit of her name. No matter where she's from, you can take her name. I know that, but it's just a little bit of a shock,” Trump said.
Donald Trump explains why he gives nicknames to his political opponents:
“Some people say I'm very good at it…I enjoy it. To tell you the truth, it's a very effective tool.” pic.twitter.com/3C8iMyctns
— Postmillennial (@TPostMillennial) January 21, 2024
Mr. Baier interrupted the president and asked what he meant by that, to which Mr. Trump recalled another nickname he used for the Democratic Massachusetts senator. elizabeth warren “What does that mean?” Mr. Byer questioned. (Related: 'Not tough enough': President Trump 'probably' excludes Nikki Haley as running mate)
“It's a bit of a takeoff. I see her name. I see a lot of people. I name a lot of people, like 'Pocahontas.' She said, “Her mother said, 'I look like an Indian.'” So I started calling her “Pocahontas.” Some say I'm very good at it. But I won't go into too much because a lot of the people I named like that are Republicans and we don't want to talk about that. But no, it's just, take off. enjoying. And the truth is, it can be a very effective tool,” President Trump said.
Baier also reiterated Trump's previous praise for the former U.N. ambassador and asked the former president about calling Haley a “globalist idiot.” President Trump claimed he always knew she was a “globalist” and said the United States could not afford to have a “globalist” as president given the current foreign political climate.
“Well, look, she's a globalist. I've always known that about her. And our country can't be globalist. We don't even have that choice anymore. We're $35 trillion… I'm in debt and I have to take care of myself first. But, you know, I didn't have a war going on,” Trump said.
“We defeated ISIS. I defeated ISIS in a few months. They said it would take four or five years, but I did it in a few months. And I just took everyone — I took everyone. It was the other way around. I rebuilt the military, but it was the other way around. And we brought this country by force. It really brought peace.”
Donald Trump slams Nikki Haley, says she won't make a good president:
“She's a globalist idiot.” pic.twitter.com/0cAKrujWUQ
— Postmillennial (@TPostMillennial) January 21, 2024
“But I got to know everyone, and I got to know Nikki better. Nikki wasn't a great negotiator. She was good at things, but she wasn't cut out for this job. It won't happen. I can tell you that right now,” President Trump said.
former president I took it Writing in Truth Social on Friday, he repeatedly called Haley a “nimbler” and called the former South Carolina governor “weak.” Her Hailey birth name is Nimarata Nikki Randhawa, but she reportedly always went by her middle name, and she adopted her last name after getting married in 1996. according to To The Hill.
Haley said the attacks on her birth name are a way of Trump feeling “uneasy” and claimed the former president feels “threatened” as the New Hampshire primary approaches. The former president currently holds a 17-point lead, but according to The latest poll conducted by Suffolk University, The Boston Globe, and NBC10 Boston estimates President Trump's approval rating at approximately 53 percent.
