[ad_1]
CNN
—
Nikki Haley now says Donald Trump is too old, too confused, too chaotic and prone to tantrums to be president, in a jab that is likely to infuriate rivals in particular, calling for proper White House management. They warn that they lack the funds to even start one.
The former South Carolina governor – the ex-president’s last challenger for the Republican nomination – is under fire as he struggles to stop an outrage that tainted his career in his home state’s primary.
Haley revealed a heartbreaking portrait of the former president in an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper on Thursday.
He grouped President Trump and President Joe Biden together, saying it would be “ridiculous” for the country to remain with two 80-year-old candidates. (Mr. Biden is 81, Mr. Trump is 77.) She warned that Mr. Trump had had “confused moments” in recent days, and that the night he won the New Hampshire primary, Mr. Trump went to court. He also scolded him for throwing a “tantrum” when he was confronted by the police. To kick her out of the race. In her recent campaign, Ms. Haley has also questioned Mr. Trump’s morality and ability to discern right from wrong.
Her harsh attitude toward her boss, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, raises questions about why she finally became tougher after months of navigating President Trump’s personality issues, legal quagmire, and attacks on democracy. I’m throwing it.
Has Haley found her voice, found the perfect spot to target the former president, or has a new hard-line strategy that she thinks could defeat the overwhelming favorite for the nomination for the third year in a row? Have you decided to work on it?
Or is it that Ms. Haley has a long disgrace of only lashing out at Mr. Trump when he effectively loses, including in 2016 and the unfortunate Florida trio of incumbent Gov. Jeb Bush and Sen. Marco Rubio? Is it just joining a tradition? Gov. Ron DeSantis at the end of his 2024 election misstep? Mr. DeSantis had struggled with how to deal with Mr. Trump throughout his campaign, but only when his cause was already looking hopeless ahead of last month’s second-place finish in Iowa did he finally turn to his former mentor. unleashed a fierce attack on
Mr. DeSantis criticized Mr. Trump for not attending the debate and claimed that conservative media was acting as a “guard” to protect Mr. Trump. “You may be the least worthy Republican in America, but kiss the ring and they’ll tell you you’re great,” DeSantis said. Ironically, Mr. DeSantis’ comments come at a time when Mr. DeSantis backed down and immediately endorsed the man who had been the subject of the most brutal character attacks for months. It was a direct prediction of behavior.
Haley has maintained that her campaign, unlike DeSantis’, was designed with a long-term delegate campaign against Trump in mind, and that her home state election on February 24th He has vowed to remain in the race long after the Republican primary.
“Why are political elites pushing us to nominate candidates when only two states have voted? 48 states and more territories have not voted. The count requires 1,215 delegates. Donald Trump has 32 and I have 17. Why stop now?” Haley asked a crowd in Hilton Head on Thursday.
Although Haley has clearly sharpened her tone, she has criticized Trump’s unfitness for office and criticism of democracy, similar to those made by her former rival in the Republican primary, Chris Christie, and former Republican candidate Chris Christie. We have not carried out a full-scale no-return attack regarding this attack. Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney. Such rhetoric offers a quick one-way ticket out of Republican politics, something Haley wants to jeopardize her chances for a future presidency, assuming she doesn’t pull off a major upset this year. There is no sign of that yet.
But confronting Trump directly would be dangerous. Few Republicans would survive a direct confrontation with a former president unscathed, given the former president’s extraordinary control and vitriol over his party’s base of voters. The plain truth is that Mr. Trump is willing and able to attack far less than any candidate attacking him. But Haley is losing the cause and is predicting to voters in future presidential elections that either Trump will ultimately lose to Biden or that he will end up in a chaotic and lawless second term. Is it possible to draw a line that allows you to say that? Or will her newfound willingness to confront the former president infuriate him, alienate her supporters and undermine her future viability?
Haley took her criticism of Trump to a new level in an interview with Tapper on Thursday, slamming the attacks she has honed in recent days in South Carolina. He released new filings showing two political action committees spent about $29 million in legal fees for the former president during the last six months of 2023 as he faces multiple criminal and civil trials. harshly criticized. Meanwhile, the New York Times first reported that Trump’s PAC’s legal spending is expected to reach about $50 million a year.
“The lawsuit is just beginning, so be prepared to spend more of your campaign money on legal fees. We’re expecting two in March and will be out for the rest of the year,” Haley said on “The Lead.” . She added, “It’s unconscionable to me for a candidate to spend $50 million on legal fees. This explains why he doesn’t do many rallies. He doesn’t have the money to do it.” ” Haley previously asked the audience at an event in Columbia, South Carolina. he’s not him ”
Haley’s mention of money may anger Trump more than any other insult. This is because he uses his vast wealth as a tool to build his myth as a great businessman, and it appears to be central to his self-image. But the former president is likely to face financial problems in the future, which could at least test his cash reserves and force him to sell or mortgage some of his real estate assets.
Last week, a New York jury awarded Trump 83.3 million in defamation damages after finding him liable for sexually assaulting author E. Jean Carroll in a previous civil trial. The court ruled that the defendant should pay $1. The former president is also bracing for the outcome of a New York civil fraud trial against him, his organization and his adult sons, and could be ordered to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in disgorgement. Trump could also be banned from doing business in New York state, which could significantly damage his real estate empire.
Given the financial cloud swirling around Trump, and of course the four pending criminal cases he faces, Haley’s comments about money are likely to be serious. .
But the former UN ambassador said in his comments that he remains restrained and intends to unleash a direct attack that will inevitably damage President Trump’s future prospects within a party transformed in his image. It was also shown that there is no such thing.
She said she was “not paying attention to his trial” in Colombia. I don’t know where he’s innocent or guilty or what happened. ” Given that Haley is running against Trump and legal exposure is his biggest responsibility in the general election, she has a mountain of charges and evidence to consider against her rival. There may be obligations. Given that female voters are likely to play a key role in the general election, another candidate may have brought up Trump’s alleged behavior toward Carroll. Especially the one who is trying to break the highest glass ceiling to become the first female president.
The closest Haley discussed details of the case was on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, when she said, “I have absolute confidence in the jury.” Similarly, Haley has been reluctant to dig deeper into Trump’s false claims about 2020 election fraud and the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. For months, during her campaign, she made vague allusions to Trump’s past actions and argued that now was the time to criticize his actions. A new generation of leadership to move the country forward. And in the end, she came up with this excuse: I agree with many of his policies, but for better or worse, he’s confusing. ” Haley added at a rally in New Hampshire last month. Chaos follows him,” she said, drawing applause from her supporters.
But Haley’s tentative description of the chaos of the Trump presidency largely suggests that the former commander-in-chief lacked the agency to spark the mayhem, the worst assault on American democracy in modern times. .
But she had little choice. It was a message designed to steer Haley through the grave realities of the race for the Republican nomination: bashing Trump and telling the truth about his history will not sway the Republican Party. There is no benefit among key primary voters.
The results of a new CNN/SSRS poll released Thursday sum up Haley’s dilemma. The poll showed her leading Mr. Biden by 13 points in a hypothetical general election matchup among registered voters, but 70% of Republicans supported Mr. Trump and gave her a lead as a candidate. Only 19% said they preferred it. Haley’s performance in Iowa and New Hampshire was said to have fared well among moderates, suburban Republicans and independents, but struggled with hard-core Republicans, making it difficult for the former president to compete for the nomination. It speaks of superiority. These numbers explain why Republican rivals like Haley and DeSantis were in the same position last year. They had to find a way to take advantage of President Trump’s greatest responsibility in the general election, knowing that most Republican voters had no interest in hearing about it.
The Trump campaign is ramping up its attacks on Haley, hoping a landslide victory in South Carolina will end her bid for the White House. On Thursday, a group of state lawmakers supporting the former president held two press conferences aimed at tarnishing his reputation among Republican voters in his home state. South Carolina Congresswoman Nancy Mace accused Haley of being pro-China. “We need a man who is strong and who our enemies fear. Nikki Haley is the most popular governor in China,” said Mace, himself a Trump critic. South Carolina Congressman Bill Taylor hit back at Haley’s recent criticism that President Trump only cares about himself. “Nikki Haley is not a good candidate for president of the United States. Nikki is always about Nikki,” Taylor said.
In theory, Haley’s new truths about Trump and the former president’s very public legal crisis (to some extent) could start to turn sentiment against him in the primaries. Yes, but there is further reason to suspect that this is not the case. And Haley seems destined to join the ranks of Republican candidates who actively criticize Trump’s character and conduct, but only when it’s too late.
[ad_2]
Source link
