Former Republican South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and CBS host Margaret Brennan clashed Sunday over Haley's support for former President Donald Trump, with the former governor asking to shift the focus from “personality.”
Haley, who stopped campaigning in March after losing her majority on Super Tuesday, endorsed Trump in May. During an appearance on CBS' “Face the Nation,” when Brennan asked her about Trump's recent pledge to make IVF free if he was elected, Haley defended her support for Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris.
“This is not a policy that I support, just like Kamala Harris doesn't support the policy of eliminating private health insurance or Medicare for All. At the end of the day, when you think about it…” Haley began.
“But he's the chairman of the Republican Party. He's the Republican nominee,” Brennan interjected.
Haley fired back at the host, explaining why Democratic policies would be more harmful to the country and detailing how she would tackle the IVF issue. (Related article: Bernie Sanders says Harris isn't 'abandoning' progressive values, she's just doing the 'right thing' to win)
“I know, but we also have to talk about the Democratic leader, Margaret. You can't just look at one side and not look at the other. When we talk about Medicare for All, when we talk about eliminating private health insurance, maybe it's the same as Canada. Think socialist health care,” Haley continued. “We never want to get to that stage, because then you don't get IVF and other things, you know, cancer drugs and other things.”
“When we think about health care, we need to be aware. Both of my children are the product of fertility treatments. We want that option to be available to everyone, but the way to do that is not to mandate insurance. Instead, do everything we can to make sure insurance is available and affordable,” Haley said.
Brennan then asked whether Haley “still encourages people who identify as Republicans to support policies that are not conservative.”
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“I don't agree with Trump 100 percent. I don't have to like him or agree with him 100 percent to know that Americans would be better off under policies that are welcoming to immigrants, that have law and order, that have an opportunity-seeking economy, that have a strong national security. I don't have to sit there and like somebody to decide those policies are better. I…” Haley said.
Brennan interrupted Haley, saying her decision was “like a grade point on a curve,” to which Haley fired back, asking how the American people would be better off with four more years under Harris.
“This is not a blanket assessment. I think it's a question of how you look at it, because what I want to ask you is, how are people going to be better off over the next four years, as they have been over the last four years,” Haley questioned. “Any American would tell you that life is not getting better. So our goal should be, how do we make life better? Rather than making this a question of personalities, can we start talking about things that we all agree on about policy, because I have serious policy concerns.”
Since President Joe Biden gave up reelection on July 21 and Harris became the Democratic presidential nominee, the support rates for the two parties have been neck and neck in key battleground states and national opinion polls. Real Clear Politics Nationally, Harris leads Trump by 1.4 percentage points, with her approval rating at 48.1% and Trump's at 46.7%.
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