Haley Supporters Sound Off
MT. PLEASANT, S.C.—John Sulkowski, a registered Republican, has voted in every national and general election for the past four decades. A Nikki Haley supporter this time around, he’s had second thoughts about going to the polling place in 2024 if former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden are the two candidates on the ballot. He plans to show up anyway, but may vote for a write-in candidate instead if the ballot features a Trump-Biden matchup.
“Oh I'll show up. I just won’t particularaly enjoy it. I once before made a write-in for president. I would probably do that of it’s that choice.”
Mr. Sulkowski is disappointed by the Republican party’s inability to accomplish much in Congress despite holding a narrow majority in the House. He believes that another Trump presidency would not resolve the issue.
“I’m disappointed in the Republican party in general and I do not feel that Mr. Trump has contributed positively to any leadership there,” Mr. Sulkowski told The Epoch Times.
Asked if he would vote for a third party candidate like Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Mr. Sulkowski said that Mr. Kennedy’s candidacy is not serious.
Mr. Sulkowski’s wife, Irene, also a supporter of Ms. Haley, referred to a speech by Ms. Haley in which Ms. Haley asked if people want an “intelligent, coherent president.” That’s what “probably the best for the country, not his personal ego,” Ms. Sulkowski told The Epoch Times.
This sentiment was shared by Haley supporters, Kurt Kehlenbeck, 64, from Charleston and Diane Derusha, 75.
“I don’t want either old man in the White House,” Ms. Derusha said of President Trump and President Biden.
Mr. Kehlenbeck is a Democrat who voted for Ms. Haley in the primary and would vote for her in the general election if she is nominated. Otherwise, he’ll vote for Biden.
Ms. Derusha is a Republican, but will not vote for Trump, even if nominated.
Trump: A Vote for Nikki Haley Is a Vote for Joe Biden
Former President Donald Trump warned his South Carolina supporters about voting for their former governor, Nikki Haley, in the Republican primary on Saturday.“A vote for Nikki Haley tomorrow is a vote for Joe Biden this November,” he said. “That’s all you’re doing is you’re voting for crooked Joe Biden.”
She’s supported and funded by Democrats, he said. Republicans aren’t supporting her because they don’t like her policies, and the radical left Democrats want her to win the nomination because “she’s the easiest one to beat.”
“She’s not really attacking me,” he said. “She’s really attacking the Republican Party.”
The crowd booed as he reminded them that Ms. Haley wanted to raise the retirement age of Social Security, and that she also gave land to China and sided with President Biden on the recent amnesty bill.
Ms. Haley was U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. during President Trump’s term. He told his audience that he gave her the job “90 percent for one reason,” which was that he wanted the current governor, Henry McMaster, to be in charge.
Mr. McMaster was present at the event and introduced President Trump.
“If you want a president who puts America first, then defeat Nikki Haley,” he said. “You gotta go out and vote. Gotta send the signal tomorrow.
Sen. Vance: Border Security Was ‘Always Fake’ in Senate’s Border Deal
The Senate’s ill-fated deal to combine funding for Ukraine and U.S. southwest border security had one major problem that caused it to fall apart, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) said on Friday.“The border security was always fake,” Mr. Vance explained while addressing the subject at CPAC.
“I’ve heard from Democratic colleagues, I’ve heard from Democratic staffers who have said the Republican leadership in the Senate never pushed that hard for border security,” he said. “There was always this kind of wink-wink, ‘Well, we’ve got to go through the motions here. We’ve got to convince the conservative knuckle-draggers, like J.D. Vance, that we can care about border security, but we don’t really care about it that much.’ So, the American people got screwed in that deal.”
The priority, the senator said, was always Ukraine, and the border was just the negotiators’ way of “throwing a bone” to the conservative voters who want action on the border crisis.
The allocations outlined in the package support that claim. The measure’s promise of $20 billion for border security on its face appears paltry compared with the $60 billion in aid it would have appropriated for Ukraine.
“Think about it. If you go into negotiations saying, you know, we don’t actually care about the thing that we’re allegedly negotiating over, you’re not going to get anything. And that’s exactly what happened over the last couple of weeks in Washington, D.C.,” Mr. Vance said.
“It’s a disgrace, and every person here should be pissed off about it.”
Trump Declares Support for IVF, ‘Miracle of Life’
Former President Donald Trump proclaimed his stance on in vitro fertilization (IVF) as he spoke to a passionate crowd at a campaign rally in Rock Hill, South Carolina.“We want to make it easier for mothers and fathers to have babies, not harder,” he said, transitioning from economics.
“That includes supporting the availability of fertility treatments like IVF in every state in America.”
“The Republican Party should always be on the side of the miracle of life, and the side of mothers and fathers and beautiful little babies have to be on that,” he said. ”IVF is an important part of that.”
The audience responded with enthusiastic applause.
At the same time, President Trump posted this sentiment to Truth Social.
“Like the overwhelming majority of Americans, including the vast majority of Republicans, Conservatives, Christians, and Pro-Life Americans, I strongly support the availability of IVF for couples who are trying to have a precious baby,” he said in the post.
‘Most Plausible’ That US Took Lead in Nord Stream Pipeline Destruction: Don Jr.
Donald Trump, Jr., told The Epoch Times it was “most plausible” the United States attacked or oversaw attacks on the offshore Nord Stream natural gas pipelines in late September 2022, months after Russia invaded Ukraine.“I’m not an expert in these things, but I do understand reality… Seems like that would be the most plausible. I don’t know that Ukraine has the sophistication to pull something like that off. So, I imagine there are three-letter agencies that were somehow involved in this, and whether it was jointly with them or on their own, I imagine that happened,” Mr. Trump, Jr. told The Epoch Times.
“It does not seem like we’ve done anything to try to end the war, and it feels like we did a lot before it ever started to give [Russian President Vladimir] Putin whatever excuse he perhaps needed to start the war,” the former president’s eldest son continued, later emphasizing that he was not calling Mr. Putin “a good guy.”
But the benefits of Nord Stream’s disruption to Ukraine and the West immediately raised questions about the nature of the incident.
Mr. Trump, Jr. made the comments after speaking to a packed house at President Trump’s South Carolina campaign headquarters in North Charleston. Foreign policy was one theme of his remarks, part of a fast-paced tour ahead of the Feb. 24 Republican presidential primary.
Trump, Jr. Talks Trump VP Picks
Mr. Trump, Jr. asserted that former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley’s continued presence in the race was part of an effort to “keep the never-ending wars going in perpetuity.”He also responded to questions about who his father might choose as a running mate, crediting himself with helping to foreclose one possibility.
“I was the first one to be very vocal, maybe the first one in the Trump campaign to be, like, very vocal about not wanting Nikki Haley,” he said.
He brought up journalist Tucker Carlson, saying he'd “love to see” him debate Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Tim’s a good friend of mine. Tim’s a great guy,” he said when asked by The Epoch Times about another potential pick, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.).
He also suggested that “guys like a [Sen.] J.D. Vance [(R-Ohio)]” would be appropriate to replace current Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).
Stefanik Touts Her Credentials Amid VP Speculation
Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik may currently represent New Yorkers in the state’s 21st Congressional District, but her speech at CPAC on Friday sounded like a pitch for a much higher position.Touting her conservative credentials, Ms. Stefanik recounted her rise from a “hardworking, small-business family” to her present role as chair of the House Republican Conference.
“I started my campaign at 28 years old. No one thought I could win a primary, let alone a general election, and flip a district from Democrat to Republican,” she said.
During a Fox News town hall earlier this week, the 45th president confirmed several contenders on his short list for vice president. They included South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and even former Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard.
Ms. Stefanik is rumored to be on the list as well, although she was not among the candidates named by host Laura Ingraham. And with her Friday comments, she seemed to be making a case for why she should be considered for the job.
“I’m proud to serve in top leadership as House Republican Conference chair and I’m proud to be the first member of Congress to endorse President Trump for reelection,” she said. “Time and time again, I’ve stood in the breach for President Trump, for the Constitution, and most importantly, for you, ‘we the people,’ in some of the toughest fights of our republic.”
As evidence, she pointed to a recent hearing on antisemitism on college campuses, during which she called out the presidents of elite universities for their responses to antisemitic protests in the wake of Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
“That historic hearing showed that one voice supported by the American people can set off an earthquake and a reckoning and help save our country,” she said, noting that an investigation has since been launched into those schools.
She closed her remarks with a call to action, urging attendees to “double down and fight back” to save America.
Citadel Cadets Stand Guard for Don Jr.
The Epoch Times Hosts Jan. 6 Panel
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md.--The Epoch Times on Feb. 23 hosted a panel on the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol and its continuing effects on American politics.
Latinos at CPAC Explain Support for Trump
Latinos Gabe and Luke, backers of former President Donald Trump, were showing support for their candidate at CPAC and shared with The Epoch Times a quick reason why.“Everything’s getting [expletive] up,” said Gabe, specifically mentioning the economy and “the nation getting overpopulated with everybody that [President Joe] Biden’s letting in.”
“We’re backing Trump because he can make a change to what’s going on, and not just for wealthy people but for the minorities, as they call them,” he said.
They also said that a lot more Latinos are supporting President Trump this year, and are supporting him because “we’re all family-oriented,” and the Democrats are “trying to break everybody apart.”
“It’s time for everybody to unite,” said Gabe. “That’s the key word.”
He said he always liked President Trump.
“And after Biden started doing his dirty work, who wouldn’t wake up?” he asked.
The men declined to give their full names.
Whistleblower Fired by Fani Willis Now Talking to House Judiciary Committee
A whistleblower who was fired by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has been communicating with the office of House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), the congressman revealed on Friday.The committee subpoenaed Ms. Willis earlier this month after she failed to respond to requests for documents and information pertaining to her office’s use of federal funds.
The requests followed allegations that she financially benefited from hiring special counsel Nathan Wade to assist with her investigation into former President Donald Trump.
At CPAC, Mr. Jordan disclosed that the committee has yet to receive the subpoenaed information—due Friday—from Ms. Willis.
“We haven’t heard back from her yet—we’ll see what we get from her—but there’s a whistleblower in her office who we have talked to, our committee staff,” he said.
The whistleblower in question privately raised concerns about another employee’s potential misuse of federal funds to Ms. Willis in a recording that was leaked to the press last month. The whistleblower was later fired by Ms. Willis.
“The whistleblower, I think she’s like 4-foot-11, but Fani Willis had seven police escort her out when she fired this lady. Because this lady raised the concern that Ms. Willis was … not following the grant—the rules of the grant—and the grant dollars in the appropriate manner,” Mr. Jordan said.
“She’s now talking with our office and we’ll see where it goes,” he added.
Donald Trump Jr. Speaks About 3rd-Party Haley Speculation
CHARLESTON, S.C.—After speaking at the Citadel on Feb. 23, one day before South Carolina’s Republican presidential primary, Donald Trump, Jr. told The Epoch Times what he thinks of speculation surrounding former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley’s appearing on a third-party ticket.While Ms. Haley has denied talking to representatives of “No Labels,” the political movement that has aimed to run an alternative to President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, some speculate that she may be gearing up for a No Labels run.
“I don’t know that I believe anything that Nikki Haley says at this point. She said she wasn’t gonna run, right?” Mr. Trump, Jr. told The Epoch Times.
Yet, Mr. Trump, Jr. dismissed the significance of Ms. Haley’s presence in the race. His father is expected to score a strong victory in the state once led by his competitor.
“I don’t know that she changes all that much… I do understand that she’s there as a cudgel against Trump,” he said.
Gov. Noem Highlights South Dakota Successes Amid VP Chatter
“If America wants to be great again, I'd suggest you take a look at South Dakota and see all that we have achieved, and then vote for President Trump,” South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem told the CPAC audience,As one of the favorite rumored picks to be former President Donald Trump’s choice for vice president, she gave her audience a look back at the governing style of the first-ever female governor of the Mount Rushmore state, and a pro-business one at that.
“I never mandated anything to my people,” she said, referring to the COVID-19 pandemic. “I never told anyone that they couldn’t go to church. We were the only state to turn down the elevated unemployment benefits because our people wanted to work. We trusted each other, and we got through our challenges together. And we are stronger because of it today.
“South Dakota is thriving because of the decisions that we’ve made in South Dakota.”
Her other accomplishments included a record 1.8 percent state unemployment rate, maintaining a standard of living with no income tax, no personal property tax, and a historic sales tax cut down to 4.2 percent.
Infrastructure improvements–from roads and bridges to expanding high-speed internet across the state–were also implemented.
“Now we are one of the few states whose suicide rates and mental health challenges are going down,” she said. “And we have the lowest drop in overdoses the last couple of years as well.”
She also touted that her state has the highest birth rate in the nation.
“People have hope,” she said. “People are having babies, and I love it.”
The audience cheered as Ms. Noem listed a number of firsts for her state. She said South Dakota was the first to pass resolutions and send the National Guard to Texas to assist in securing the border, the first state to veto the federal government’s attempt to create a central bank digital currency, and the first state to ban the Chinese-owned app TikTok.
But, despite her record of successes, she said she did not see a point in throwing her hat in the ring for president, as she knew that nobody could beat President Trump.
“I have always believed and supported the fact that our next president needs to be President Trump,” she said.
–T.J. Muscaro
Donald Trump, Jr. Speaks for Father in Charleston
Rep. Bishop: Trump Embodies America’s Fighting Spirit
Former President Donald Trump’s determination to fight for America is the reason that voters support him as they do, Rep. Dan Bishop (R-N.C.) told reporters Friday.“The essence of Donald Trump is that he fights, and Americans embrace that,” Mr. Bishop said at CPAC in Washington.
President Trump, he said, has been a lone figure standing in opposition to globalism and the capture of American institutions by “a handful of oligarchs” who want to rule over everyone else.
“He stands for the proposition [that] we’ll restore America as the constitutional republic it’s intended to be, and I support that fully.”
The lawmaker added that Congress still has some work to do on that front.
President Trump is currently fighting multiple legal battles in relation to the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. In Colorado, the state Supreme Court has ruled him ineligible to appear on the GOP presidential primary ballot, holding that he is constitutionally barred for having “engaged in insurrection” against the United States.
But Mr. Bishop said he expects that ruling to be overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.
“When you see the Supreme Court asking questions about that, it’s very clear the Supreme Court’s going to reverse that 9-0,” he said.
At a Feb. 8 hearing, a majority of the Supreme Court justices appeared skeptical of claims that the 14th Amendment empowers states to strike national candidates from the ballot. The court has yet to return a decision on the matter.
President Trump is slated to speak at CPAC on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Florida Rep. Cory Mills: Gun Laws Are Intended to ‘Weaken the American People’
Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.) shed light on what he sees as the true intention of gun laws in the United States.“This is not about policing,” he told the CPAC audience. “This is about politics. They are trying to do everything they can to weaken the American people to make us dependent upon the administrative state.”
His response came after Newsmax host Carl Higbie brought up that 68 percent of law enforcement officers in Connecticut refused to enforce an assault weapons ban passed by the state government.
“They thought they could just tax us and charge all of these frivolous payments out of gun ownership,” Mr. Mills said. And then there are the red flag laws, which are “unconstitutional in [their] entirety.”
Everyone in these blue states is talking about having the highest gun regulations, he said. But do you know what else they have? The highest levels of criminality and murderers per capita.
The lawmaker also took aim at “the fake media” for its assistance to the administrative state.
“They don’t want to vilify the actual criminal; they want to criminalize our actual ability to hold arms,” he said. “There is a weaponization effort to try and control the narrative, and we have to stop being the silent majority and be more vocal.”
Haley Campaign, Acknowledging Odds, Doubles Down Anyway
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley recognizes the long odds of her becoming the Republican presidential nominee. But those odds won’t stop her from running, her campaign manager said Friday.“As we look to the path ahead, we know that this is an uphill battle. We know that the road is difficult, and we know that the math is challenging, but this has never just been about who can win a Republican primary. This battle is about who can win in November, defeat the Democrats, and finally get our country back on track,” Betsy Ankeny said on a call with reporters.
“We know the odds here, but we also know the stakes, and we think that a whole lot of Republicans across the country do too. And so, we are placing our faith in the American people,” she said.
Going down the list of recent GOP disappointments at the ballot box, Ms. Ankeny said that those who believe former President Donald Trump can beat President Joe Biden are in denial.
“2022 was the first midterm election since 1934 in which the incumbent president’s party, the Democrats, did not lose a single state legislative chamber or incumbent senator. And we all just saw what happened this month when Republicans lost a special election to replace the illustrious Republican George Santos in New York,” she stated.
“History and the polls show that Trump cannot win. And thinking that Trump can somehow cobble together the winning coalition that propelled him to victory in 2016 against an enfeebled Joe Biden is just a pipe dream.”
When asked by The Epoch Times for the campaign’s response to claims that Ms. Haley has no path to securing the nomination, Ms. Ankeny reiterated that the real question is who can win in November.
“This is about winning a general election,” she said. “How is Trump going to win a general election when all the polls and all the history and all the antics indicate that he clearly cannot? So again, we know the odds here, but this is about winning a general election, and that’s what we’re focused on.”
Ms. Ankeny was also pressed on whether there would be any scenario coming out of South Carolina in which Ms. Haley would consider dropping out of the race. She replied that the campaign has never discussed any such benchmarks and “won’t start now.”
“She made very clear in her speech on Tuesday that we are marching on, and that’s what we intend to do.”
To prove it, the campaign has launched an ad buy in Michigan, which holds its primary on Feb. 27. A seven-figure cable and digital ad buy has also been scheduled to run nationally in the lead-up to Super Tuesday on March 5.
CPAC-Goers Want Secure Borders, Return to Domestic Manufacturing
The first thing Stephen Robinson wants former President Donald Trump to do when reclaims the presidency is secure the southern border.“The first policy I’d like him to do is finish the wall—and I’ve offered to help with that,” the CPAC attendee told The Epoch Times.
Mr. Robinson, an engineer, said he had offered his services to Tom Homan, who served as acting director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement under President Trump.
“I’m happy to help the country,” he said.
The border was also top of mind for Carol Zarkowski, another ardent supporter of the 45th president, as was manufacturing.
“I was raised when America was great, and I’ve seen it fall. And I would really like to see industry brought back to this country and blue-collar workers have jobs,” Ms. Zarkowski said.
“Why do we take our manufacturing to China?” she wondered, noting that the car model she recently purchased will soon be made in China.
“And it’s going to be electric as well, which I don’t want electric car,” she said. “We should be using our gas and oil that we can get right here in this country. I don’t like all of our things moved to other countries. I feel that America should be doing our own manufacturing.”
Under President Trump, she said, manufacturing began to return to the U.S. thanks to the tariffs he implemented on imported products. But now, under President Joe Biden, companies have shifted back toward outsourcing their operations.
“And [President Biden] encourages that. Trump does not. Trump believes in America, and I believe in America. That’s why I support him so much.”
South Carolinians Hear Final Pitches From Trump, Haley
As the eyes of Republicans across the U.S. turn toward South Carolina, former President Donald Trump and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley are making their final pitches to voters ahead of the state’s crucial presidential primary on Saturday.Ms. Haley has two campaign stops planned for Friday. She’ll start by making an appearance at the Moncks Corner Train Depot in at 2 p.m. She’ll then make her way to Mount Pleasant for a 6 p.m. rally at the Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum.
Donald Trump Jr., meanwhile, will be stumping for his father in Charleston, where he has two events planned, including a 3:30 p.m. appearance at Team Trump’s South Carolina headquarters.
Later, the 45th president himself will serve as the keynote speaker at the Black Conservative Federation’s annual gala in Columbia. The ticketed event, set for 6 p.m., will feature a theme of “Restoring the American Dream.”
What to Watch for at CPAC Today
The second day of the 2024 Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington will feature a star-studded lineup of conservative voices.- 9:45 a.m.: “Government Gangster” with Kash Patel, former Pentagon chief of staff
- 1:10 p.m.: South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem
- 1:25 p.m.: “What You Talkin’ Bout Fani Willis?” with Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee
- 2:15 p.m.: “Burning Down the House” with Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.)
- 2:50 p.m.: Nigel Farage, former leader of the Brexit Party
- 3:35 p.m.: Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), chair of the House Republican Conference
- 3:55 p.m.: “The Interview” with Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) and Newsmax host Robb Schmitt
- 4:20 p.m.: “The Better View” with Megyn Kelly, journalist and host of “The Megyn Kelly Show,” and CPAC Senior Fellow Mercedes Schlapp
- 7:30 p.m.: Ronald Reagan dinner, featuring entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and Bishop Joseph Strickland