Nikki Haley has been amping up her criticism of Donald Trump during the 2024 presidential campaign, and she’s taking it to a new level as she heads into a month of campaigning in South Carolina before the state’s February 24 primary.
Haley’s home state reception was met with about a dozen Trump supporters protesting outside her rally in North Charleston. In response, Haley didn’t hold back. Instead of her usual stump speech introduction, she immediately went after the former president.
“Bring it, Donald,” she challenged, directly calling out Trump and even proposing a debate.
Haley also brought up Trump’s focus on her during his victory speech on the night of the New Hampshire primary, calling it a “temper tantrum.” She confidently stated, “I know that’s what he does when he feels threatened, and he should feel threatened, without a doubt.” The crowd of hundreds cheered in approval.
In an interesting twist, Haley’s campaign responded to Trump’s threat on Truth Social that anyone who donates to Haley would be “permanently barred from the MAGA camp.” The campaign began selling T-shirts with the slogan “BARRED. PERMANENTLY.” This move cleverly turned Trump’s attack into a fundraising opportunity.
Despite growing pressure to drop out and unify the Republican Party around Trump after his decisive victory over Haley in the New Hampshire primary, she remains determined. Haley believes that Americans deserve better choices than what they currently have.
“We’ve only had two states that have voted,” she pointed out. “We have 48 more that deserve to vote.”
The Haley campaign wasted no time and started running ads in South Carolina immediately. The campaign’s aligned super PAC, SFA Fund Inc., plans to start a million-dollar ad buy in the state next week. Both the campaign and super PAC are optimistic about Haley’s chances in Michigan’s February 27 primary and the Super Tuesday primaries on March 5.
SFA Fund recently announced that it raised over $50 million in the last six months of 2023, a substantial amount that can support an extended campaign.
Although Haley rejects the label of being a “moderate,” her campaign intends to continue courting independent voters, who played a pivotal role in her success during the New Hampshire primary. According to campaign manager Betsy Ankney, independent participation in GOP primaries is not uncommon, as Trump himself received critical support from independents during his first presidential run in 2016.
Ankney highlighted that eleven of the sixteen Super Tuesday states have open or semi-open primaries, meaning non-registered Republicans can participate. Key states like Virginia, Texas, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Vermont fall into this category, providing a favorable opportunity for Haley to gain support.
However, Mark Harris, the lead strategist for SFA Fund Inc., acknowledged that Haley must increase her support among Republicans to secure victory in South Carolina. He emphasized the need to perform better with conservatives and key demographics to pave a realistic path to the nomination.
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