After the first GOP presidential debate in August, there was talk among the pundit/media class about how former Trump ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley had her “moment” on the stage where she “stole the show” at a time when all eyes were on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to see how he would perform.
Earlier this month, ABC News talked about Haley’s “boost in polling” after the first debate and how she’d had some “encouraging signs of gathering momentum.”
We heard more of the same after the second debate earlier this week, with Politico for instance declaring in one piece that “only former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley brought the oppo research receipts.”
In another, they wrote about how Haley had caught a “post-debate spark,” with “mainstream mega-donors”:
No doubt with all of that in mind and the fact Haley has moved into second place behind her former boss in one New Hampshire primary poll, Donald Trump has started attacking Haley, calling her “birdbrain” in Truth Social posts on Thursday and Friday and proclaiming she has “no loyalty” nor “the TALENT or TEMPERAMENT to do the job”:
MAGA, or I, will never go for Birdbrain Nikki Haley. No loyalty, plenty of lies! “I will never run against our great President,” she said,“he has done an outstanding job.” To which I responded,“How nice of you to say, Nikki,” knowing full well that her words mean nothing. She even came to Mar-a-Lago with her family, “bearing gifts.” Anyway, Birdbrain doesn’t have the TALENT or TEMPERAMENT to do the job. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!
On the day of the second debate, the Trump campaign issued their talking points on “the real Nikki Haley.” The day after the second debate, here’s what Trump wrote:
I’m up 56 Points, so the Debates would seem to be a complete waste of time. I’m also up 10 on Crooked Joe! What is the RNC doing? They should be fighting against Election Interference & the Pennsylvania Voter Registration Scam. The Debates should be ENDED, BAD for the Republican Party! I was in Michigan last night with Autoworkers & others. Watched Debate = REPORT CARD: Doug Burgum did a very good job, solid & smart! Sloppy Chris Christie was a DISASTER, A TRUMP DERANGED LUNATIC! Nikki “Birdbrain” Haley was exposed for her caustic DISLOYALTY & LIES about the Republican Party, and me. Doesn’t have what it takes, NEVER DID! Lyin’ Mike Pence has lost a lot of his energy. Very flat, needs me badly! Actually, quite sad to watch, but he’ll get better. Too much J-6! Tim Scott stepped it up. Wonderful guy. Looking forward to getting his Endorsement! Vivek said I was a great President. Thank you. Good Job! Ron DeSanctimonious had a bad night. He can feel the end is near. Dropping like a rock!
In another, he posted:
Birdbrain: “I would not run if President Trump ran.” April 12, 2021
Haley’s response, posted to Twitter/X, was to suggest Trump was now focusing on her because she was allegedly closing in on his lead:
Trump’s attacks on Haley’s “loyalty” echo a similar theme to his swipes at DeSantis, with the point behind them being to suggest by not stepping aside to allow Trump to become the nominee without a primary battle after all he allegedly did for them that they don’t deserve support.
But the Trump/Haley political story is quite different from the Trump/DeSantis one.
Unlike Trump and DeSantis, who until late 2022 largely got along and endorsed each other’s respective campaigns in 2018 and 2020, Haley’s and Trump’s history has been a roller coaster.
Haley campaigned vigorously against Trump in 2016 until he became the GOP nominee, after which she reluctantly supported him. Not long after Trump won the election, he nominated her to be his United Nations ambassador, a post she stayed in until December 2018. She endorsed him in 2020 after speculation that she would run against him.
After the Capitol riot, though, Haley seemingly moved on from Trump for good, although she made some contradictory statements that same year about him and his record as president.
I think Haley in some ways could be described as a transactional politician, moving on from/distancing herself from people once she feels she no longer needs them to advance politically. My guess is that’s one of the things Trump doesn’t like about her, perhaps because she reminds him somewhat of himself.
In my view, he’s the very definition of a transactional politician, bringing people on to serve a purpose and then discarding them from his political orbit when he deems them to be insufficiently “loyal” or having made him look bad in some way. It’s not a criticism; it’s just a statement of fact based on actions Trump took in office and statements he’s made since he left it.
As for that infamous “loyalty” argument, considering Trump himself is not a particularly loyal person it’s hard to see this argument carrying much weight beyond the MAGA faithful. If anything, it should be a turnoff, because last I checked, in this country we are supposed to choose our presidential nominees at the ballot box, not coronate them.
— Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym “Sister Toldjah” and can be reached via Twitter. —
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