Nikki Haley Fires Back at Joe Biden After He Condemns Her Civil War Comments
Jan. 9 2024, Published 5:30 p.m. ET
Nikki Haley blasted President Joe Biden after he condemned her refusal to say slavery was the cause of the Civil War, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Haley's scolding followed Biden's remarks at a campaign event at the Mother Emmanuel AME church in her home state of South Carolina.
Hours after Biden's speech, Haley fired back at his remarks during an Iowa town hall event moderated by Fox News' Bret Baier and Martha McCollum.
Haley first slammed the president for holding a campaign event at the church where a 2015 racially-motivated mass shooting took place, in which nine Black church members were killed by white supremacist Dylann Roof.
"For Biden to show up there and give a political speech is offensive in itself," Haley said.
The former South Carolina governor proceeded to tear into Biden, noting his history of "racist comments" and friendships with segregationists.
"I don’t need someone who palled around with segregationists in the ’70s and has said racist comments all the way through his career lecturing me or anyone in South Carolina about what it means to have racism, slavery, or anything related to the Civil War," Haley added.
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Haley referred to comments Biden made in May 2022, in which he recalled the "the old days" in the senate when he was able to have lunch with "real segregationists" despite disagreeing with them during a speech at a manufacturing plant in Ohio.
Biden said he "used to fight like hell" with "real segregationists" Sen. James Eastland of Mississippi and Sen. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina before "eating lunch together."
A month after his Ohio speech, Biden repeated the story during the annual congressional picnic at the White House. Following backlash, Biden later issued an apology for his words giving "the impression to people that I was praising those men."
After roasting the Democrat president for his past remarks, Haley said he deserved to be "fired" over the unusual situation with his Secretary of State Lloyd Austin, who mysteriously checked himself into Walter Reed medical center on New Year's Day without telling the White House — and temporarily transferred his duties to deputy secretary Kathleen Hicks, who was on vacation in Puerto Rico at the time.
"I think Biden should be fired," Haley said. "This is unbelievable that we have a situation like this."
"First, I have a problem with the fact that Biden is not talking to his secretary of defense every single day anyway," the former U.N. ambassador continued.
"Secondly, is there not enough connection that he didn’t even know he was put in the hospital in intensive care at that? And then to go and say, ‘Oh, but his deputy secretary knew what was going on’ but she is vacationing in Puerto Rico? There are so many things wrong with this."
The White House and Pentagon announced that Austin resumed his duties from Walter Reed on Friday.