'The Real Nikki Haley': Donald Trump's 2024 Campaign Rips Rival Nikki Haley After Latest Republican Primary Debate
Sept. 28 2023, Published 8:05 a.m. ET
Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign targeted Nikki Haley after the second Republican primary debate this week, RadarOnline.com has learned.
In a surprising development to come after Haley appeared to win Wednesday night’s debate in Simi Valley, California, the former president’s campaign issued a scathing email that linked Haley to Hillary Clinton.
The email, titled The Real Nikki Haley, also targeted Haley for several other issues connected to the 2024 GOP nominee’s time before and after serving as Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations.
“Hillary Clinton Is an Inspiration to Nikki Haley,” the Trump Campaign’s Wednesday night email charged.
The email then cited a 2012 New York Times interview in which the former South Carolina governor admitted that Clinton “inspired” her to run for office.
“The reason I actually ran for office is because of Hillary Clinton,” Haley told the Times in April 2012.
Trump’s email accused Haley of wanting to send “More American Fighter Planes to Fuel the War” in Ukraine and being “Weak on Immigration” by not supporting a southern border wall in 2015.
Haley was also accused of “Threatening Medicare and Social Security” and lying about not running for president in 2024 if Trump was also running.
NBC News reporter Allan Smith took to X on Wednesday night after the email was sent out and suggested that Trump felt threatened by Haley’s performance during the second Republican primary debate.
“Looks like Team Trump thinks there’s a new person in second place,” Smith wrote.
Meanwhile, Haley used the debate this week to target two of her GOP primary rivals in particular: Vivek Ramaswamy and Tim Scott.
The former South Carolina governor appeared to position herself as the most “hawkish” candidate on issues such as China and TikTok.
Never miss a story — sign up for the RadarOnline.com newsletter to get your daily dose of dope. Daily. Breaking. Celebrity news. All free.
According to a Drudge Report poll, 37% of voters believed Haley won Wednesday night’s Republican primary debate.
20% of pollsters thought that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis won the latest debate, while 19% voted for Ramaswamy and 15% voted for former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.
North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, and former Vice President Mike Pence performed the poorest in the Drudge Report poll with 5%, 3%, and 2%.
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, the Trump Campaign’s email targeting Haley on Wednesday night also came after the former South Carolina governor slammed the embattled ex-president earlier this year.
During an interview with RealClearPolitics in April, Haley said it was time to “move forward” and away from the “drama” and “baggage” following Trump.
"He’s living in the past, and the past is catching up with him in a way that it is causing drama," she said earlier this year. "We have to move forward. We can’t deal with the drama that’s following him."
"We can’t deal with the baggage," Haley added at the time.