Former President Donald Trump went on the offensive against former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley during a stump speech in New Hampshire.
President Trump’s speech, delivered in the town of Atkinson, comes on the heels of a historic victory in the Iowa Caucus.
In the Jan. 15 caucuses, President Trump received a record-shattering 51 percent of the vote. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis came in a distant second with 21 percent. Ms. Haley came in third with 19 percent.
Though he came in second, the results were less than Mr. DeSantis may have hoped for in a state where he’s poured much of his campaign energy.
Instead, President Trump focused his energy on Ms. Haley, who’s polling at a much more menacing 29.3 percent in the state.
President Trump was joined in New Hampshire by his erstwhile rival, biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
Mr. Ramaswamy dropped out of the race following the Iowa caucus after it became clear that he had failed to achieve the upset he hoped for in the Hawkeye State. He immediately endorsed President Trump.
Speaking in New Hampshire, both men attacked Ms. Haley.
President Trump said that Ms. Haley’s backers are “pro-amnesty, they’re pro-China, they’re pro-open borders ... they’re pro-war ... they’re pro-Biden, frankly.”
He also attacked Ms. Haley for her links to Charles Koch, a libertarian-leaning mega-donor who’s pushed for immigration amnesty and making border laws less stringent.
“If she wins, Biden wins,” President Trump said. “And if Biden wins, New Hampshire cannot win.”
On the same note, he added, “If you want a nominee who is endorsed by all the RINOs, globalists, and demented Never Trumpers ... and crooked Joe Biden’s biggest donors, then Nikki Haley is your candidate.
“The Democrats are supporting her because she’s easy to beat,” President Trump said. “She’s probably their first choice.”
President Trump sniped at Ms. Haley for relying on support from liberals and moderates in the Republican primary.
“Nikki Haley in particular, is counting on the Democrats and liberals to infiltrate your Republican primary,” President Trump said.
He also criticized Ms. Haley for her policy positions, particularly her support of Social Security reform.
“She has a hit on Social Security and she wants to raise the age very substantially,” President Trump said. “You don’t need that. We don’t want to do that. And we have that liquid gold. We don’t have to do that to our seniors. You earned it.”
President Trump also said that Ms. Haley’s performance as U.N. ambassador left much to be desired.
“She was okay,” he said. “She was not great. She’s not tough enough to deal with these people. I will tell you that she’s not tough enough.”
“Nikki Haley is a disaster,” President Trump added later. “She worked for me for a long time. ... And honestly, she was not a good negotiator. She was not a good negotiator.”
Mr. Ramaswamy also shot at Ms. Haley in his opening remarks for President Trump.
“We do have some enemies that we need to defeat on the other side, but we have challenges to address in our own party right here at home,” Mr. Ramaswamy said.
“You want to cut Social Security, you want to cut Medicare, you want to cut veterans benefits, so we can fork over more money to Ukraine so some kleptocrat [can] buy a bigger house, vote for Nikki Haley, not this man right here,” Mr. Ramaswamy said.
Haley’s Also On the Offensive
President Trump’s swipes at Ms. Haley come as the former South Carolinian’s campaign and affiliated PACs have stepped up their attacks on the frontrunner.An ad paid for by SFA Fund Inc., a PAC associated with Ms. Haley, depicted the former president as “a bully,” saying he’s “lying about Nikki.”
Another ad calls President Trump and President Joe Biden “the two most disliked politicians in America.”
“Both are consumed by chaos, negativity, and grievances of the past,” the ad says.
During a Jan. 16 appearance on CBS News, Ms. Haley refused to go so far as to say President Trump was unfit for office.
But she did say, “I don’t think he needs to be the next president. I’m going to be the next president. And so we want to move forward so he’s no longer a part of the conversation.”
Ms. Haley also said the same day that she wouldn’t take part in an upcoming debate with Mr. DeSantis unless President Trump agreed to come—an indication that she’s now focusing all her fire on the former president.
New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary will be held on Jan. 23 and represents a significant test for Ms. Haley.
The political terrain in the New England state is more centrist and less conservative than in other parts of the United States—a fact that former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie relied on in his failed bid for the White House.
Now, Ms. Haley’s team is reportedly seeking to capture Mr. Christie’s supporters, which puts her in firing distance of President Trump’s 14 point lead in the state.
A win in New Hampshire could keep her in the race, potentially giving her the momentum to become the leading rival to President Trump.
Failure to win the state, where anti-Trump sentiments are more pronounced than elsewhere, could indicate trouble for Ms. Haley.
