GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley has turned up her criticism of Republican frontrunner Donald Trump, seemingly emboldened by being the last challenger remaining in the race. Haley, like the rest of the GOP field — notably Florida Governor Ron DeSantis — spent the majority of their campaigns and the GOP debates — pulling punches against Trump, mindful that his base remains key to their fragile candidacies.
Now Haley is attacking Trump for his alleged mental decline, his age, his authoritarian tendencies and his loose lips, telling Neil Cavuto on Fox this weekend that Trump “gets out of control” and that he “needs somebody there to rein him in.”
Blasting her rival — who is far ahead in the polls including in Haley’s home state of South Carolina, which holds its primary Saturday — Haley implied that Trump gave Putin tacit permission for aggressive action when Trump said he would “encourage” Russia to invade NATO nations that weren’t paid in full on their NATO dues. Trump said he’d tell Russia to “do whatever the hell they want.”
Then don’t endorse him. https://t.co/eqc4sABJwK
— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) February 18, 2024
Many believe Putin took the ultimate aggressive action after Trump’s “encourage them” provocation, as days after Trump made his “whatever the hell they want” statement, Putin opposition leader Alexei Navalny died suspiciously in a Russian prison, age 47. (President Joe Biden said plainly that Putin “is responsible for Navalny’s death.”)
Haley unsubtly links Trump’s “encourage them” statement with Navalny’s fate, telling FOX that Trump is “siding with a thug” in Putin who “kills his political opponents.”
Haley’s outrage and condemnation — Trump’s sole comment on Navalny’s death so far is one condemning America — are striking enough that Cavuto gives a little under-his-breath “alright” (as in alright, enough) as she continues her harangue.
But even with her tough talk, Haley remains on the hook to support the GOP nominee — no matter who it is — because she signed an RNC pledge to do so as a condition of participating in the debates. Later she specifically said she’d support Trump as the nominee.
As former congressman Joe Walsh comments above, on hearing Haley’s Trump denouncement: “Then don’t endorse him.” Yet as part of the GOP that has repeatedly circled its wagons around Trump, Haley has already promised she will do the same. Asked more recently if she would keep her promise, Haley kicked the can down the road, saying “we can talk about that later.”
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