COLUMBIA — Former Gov. Nikki Haley continued Thursday to pitch herself as an alternative to a November matchup between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.
She contends Trump cannot win against Biden, and the 81-year-old president — already the nation’s oldest — is unlikely to finish another full term. That would result in Vice President Kamala Harris ascending to the White House.
“We will have a female president of the United States,” Haley told about 100 people gathered Thursday afternoon at Doc’s BBQ.
After pausing for cheers, she added, “But the hard truth is it’s going to be me or Kamala Harris.” At that, the audience booed.
Haley is the last major Republican candidate still challenging Trump in the primary. She placed a distant third in Iowa and — after it essentially became a two-person race — still 11 percentage points behind in New Hampshire. But she’s hoping for a good turnout in her home state’s Republican primary Feb. 24.
“We got rid of 12 of the fellas” in the primary, she said. “We got one more we need to catch up to.”
Haley began as she often does by touting her six years as governor of South Carolina.
She told supporters they cannot complain about general election results if they don’t turn out in the primary. Get your friends and family to the polls too, she told them.
Several people protesting the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza interrupted her remarks and were removed. But Haley gave her usual response that she doesn’t mind them. Her husband, who’s deployed overseas with the Army National Guard, fights for their freedom of speech too, she said.
Asked by reporters how she’d respond to the war as president, Haley said the United States should re-institute sanctions on Iran and make strikes on Iranian leadership to limit their aid to proxy fighters who have killed and injured American troops.
But even in her home state and near the state House district she once represented, voters say they’re still deciding.
Meera Bhonsle, 27, from Lexington, said she’ll probably support the former governor, who was born in South Carolina to Indian immigrants. Noting she’s a minority woman too, she said, “obviously, that is really important, because America is a diverse country.
“So, seeing a woman represented, and a minority woman at that, is incredibly important and something I think America is ready for,” she continued, adding that her family has known the Haleys for years.
Bill Adams, a retired 78-year-old, said he voted for Haley when she ran for governor and appreciated her foreign policy experience as Trump’s first United Nations ambassador.
“She’s very impressive,” he said. “There are any number of Republican candidates who would be qualified, but she has risen to the top.”
Adams said he was 99% sure he would support Haley in the primary. Trump is well qualified, he said, and he believes the legal cases against him are “trumped up.” But he thought the former president might have trouble governing given the divided nature of the country.
“I have nothing bad to say about Donald Trump,” he said.
Still running, despite the gap
Haley said she doesn’t have to win South Carolina to keep going.
Victory in the Palmetto State, where polls show her trailing by about 30 points, involves “making sure it looks close,” she said.
“We’re not going anywhere,” she said. “We have a country to save.”
Haley told supporters she’s not paying attention to Trump’s ongoing legal cases.
“I don’t know whether he’s innocent, whether he’s guilty,” but he is focused too much on his own issues rather than making Americans’ lives better, she said.
She also pushed back on accusations she’s part of an anti-Trump movement.
“I agree with a lot of his policies,” she said. “That’s the thing is that people think you have to either be pro-Trump or anti-Trump. I’m pro-America.”
SC lawmakers for Trump
Trump’s campaign held two news conferences Thursday to counter Haley — one outside the Statehouse and the other in Horry County, a GOP stronghold. Led by GOP lawmakers who support Trump, the press events were supposed to be about Haley’s foreign policy weaknesses.
Instead, Attorney General Alan Wilson mostly criticized the Biden administration’s immigration policies, saying the president has allowed huge numbers of people to cross into and stay in the United States without authorization.
“If (Biden) had just stayed in his basement and done nothing, we would be safer,” Wilson said in a jab at Biden’s lack of campaigning amid the pandemic in 2020.
Abraham Kenmore is a reporter covering elections, health care and more. He joins the SC Daily Gazette from The Augusta Chronicle, where he reported on Georgia legislators, military and housing issues.
The 14th Amendment, Section 3:
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- February 2, 2024 - |
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Federal Judge In South Carolina Tosses Another Ballot Sham Case |
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"Crooked Joe Biden’s election interference efforts were dealt another stinging defeat in federal court in South Carolina today. The allies of Crooked Joe are desperately flailing in their attempts to deprive the voters of their right to vote for the candidate of their choice, President Donald J. Trump, and we believe a fair ruling by the Supreme Court in the Colorado case will shut down these '14th Amendment' hoaxes once and for all.”—Steven Cheung, Trump Campaign Spokesman
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The Trump Campaign & Right Wing Media say the former president and Nikki Haley do not agree on these issues:
Nikki Haley Is Weak On Immigration And Opposes A Border Wall
Nikki Haley Opposed President Trump’s Travel Ban On Immigrants Coming Into America From Terrorist Countries
In March 2017, Haley rejected banning immigrants flooding America from countries like Iran, Syria, and North Korea. She said, that a ban is “un-American.”
In 2015, Haley denounced President Trump’s travel ban, calling it “absolutely un-American” and “unconstitutional.” She also said it “defies everything that this country was based on and it’s just wrong.”
Haley added that the travel ban policy was “an embarrassment” to her party.
Nikki Haley Doesn’t Support A Border Wall And Has Been Critical Of Ending Automatic Citizenship For Children Of Illegal Immigrants
Haley has spoken out against a border wall has been critical of ending automatic birthright citizenship. She also opposed President Trump’s plan to use drones and planes to secure the southern border.
Nikki Haley: “Republicans need to remember that the fabric of America came from these legal immigrants,’ she said. ‘If you want to talk about tackling illegal immigration, then let’s talk about it, but we don’t need to attack so many millions of people who came here … and did it the right way, like my parents.’ Haley wasn’t finished. ‘Why are you going all the way to this side and talking about birthright citizenship when you haven’t even talked about illegal immigration itself?’ she asked. ‘Are you as a candidate going to commit to putting troops along the border?’ She also cited the high cost of drones, planes, and detention and deportation capabilities, which would be needed. Concluded the governor: ‘Don’t say you’re just going to build a wall, because a wall’s not going to do it.’”
Nikki Haley Wants Unlimited Immigration And Claims “Legal Immigrants Are More Patriotic Than Most Americans These Days”
In September 2022, Haley said that “Legal Immigrants are more patriotic than most Americans these days.”
During a podcast interview with Ben Shapiro, Haley said that “Immigrants are the fabric of America.”
She added: “It’s what makes us great. We need as many immigrants as we can. We need the skills, we need the talent, we need the culture. We need all of that.”
In 2018, Haley claimed, “The one thing about America and what I have always loved is America is a country of immigrants. It’s the fabric of America to have multiple cultures. Multiple populations. Multiple heritages that do come into America that make it what it is.”
As governor of South Carolina, Nikki Haley supported a government-funded refugee resettlement program.
“State Sen. Harvey Peeler sent a letter to the governor's office on Monday asking the Haley Administration to stop their ‘willingness to accept international refugees’ because of fears in the Upstate that some of these refugees could be coming from war-torn Middle Eastern countries.”
In 2016, Haley defended Barack Obama when President Trump criticized the former president on weak immigration policies that put Americans at risk.
“‘During anxious times, it can be tempting to follow the siren call of the angriest voices,’ Haley said from the governor’s residence in Columbia. ‘We must resist that temptation. No one who is willing to work hard, abide by our laws, and love our traditions should ever feel unwelcome in this country.’”
Haley’s deputy at the United Nations was a Never Trumper and helped Mark Zuckerberg create his open borders lobbying group.
The group “serves as an open borders lobbying group for Silicon Valley’s tech conglomerates. FWD.us is a pro-amnesty, pro-foreign labor organization funded by the elites of Silicon Valley – including Zuckerberg, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, and former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.”
In July 2015, Haley said that Americans should not describe illegal immigrants “as criminals,” suggesting that doing so is “disrespectful.” Her comments were made during a panel with the Aspen Institute, moderated by then-CEO Walter Isaacson.
“Haley, in response, said that while Americans are rightfully frustrated with illegal immigration at the United States-Mexico border, she urged the audience not to use language like “criminals” to describe illegal aliens because “they’re not.’”
VIDEO: Nikki Haley says you shouldn't call illegal immigrants "criminals."
As governor of South Carolina, Haley was sued by a resident of her state for backing former President Obama’s refugee resettlement program. Haley was one of nine Republican governors who continued supporting President Obama’s plan to resettle Syrian refugees across the U.S, even after terrorist attacks occurred in Europe.
“For example, three days after the November 13, 2015, terrorist attacks in Paris, France, — when seven Islamic terrorists killed 130 people, including one terrorist who reportedly posed as a Syrian refugee to get into the country — Haley was one of only nine Republican governors who continued supporting then-President Obama’s plan to resettle Syrian refugees across the U.S.”
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Nikki Haley Will Raise Your Taxes |
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Nikki Haley Pushed For A 60% Increase In The State Gas Tax In South Carolina After Promising For Years That She Would Never Do So Nikki Haley has flipped on the gas tax. In her 2013 State of the State address, Haley said, “But I will not – not now, not ever – support raising the gas tax…” In her 2014 State of the State address, Haley proclaimed that she would veto any bill that reached her desk that raises taxes on gasoline. “I will veto any bill that reaches my desk that raises taxes on gasoline.” Haley flipped her position, and posted on her website that she proposes raising the gas tax by 10 cents per gallon to pay for the State’s infrastructure. However, Haley then scrubbed her website after the flip-flop. “‘If we raise our gas tax by more than 10 cents per gallon, we will equal or surpass Georgia’s tax level and lose our competitive advantage,’ Haley’s website once declared.” However, in 2015, Haley proposed a 60% increase in the state gas tax in South Carolina. “Gov. Nikki Haley’s plan to fix the state’s crumbling infrastructure includes a 59.7 percent increase in the gas tax over three years, a marked shift from what she has said to media and in public addresses. Haley proposed to increase the state gas tax by 10 cents to 26.75 cents per gallon over the next three years, in conjunction with lowering state income taxes from 7 percent to 5 percent and restructuring the state Department of Transportation.” In January 2016, Haley unveiled her budget proposal which included the gas tax hike. Nikki Haley Voted For A 20% Increase In The State Sales Tax In South Carolina In 2006, Haley co-sponsored a bill as a state House member that raised the state’s sales tax in South Carolina. Nikki Haley Supports A New 23% National Sales Tax In December 2012, Haley said she would "support the Fair Tax and any reform that would eliminate income tax" in South Carolina as governor. The Fair Tax Act would allow for a nationwide "23% retail tax that happens at the checkout counter for new goods and services." Additionally, "The 23% rate is 'tax-inclusive', meaning the percentage you pay is calculated based on the total price of your purchase. In everyday practice, the national sales tax rate under the Fair Tax Act would effectively be 30%." Haley Repeatedly Paid Fines For Not Paying Her Income Taxes On Time In 2010, it was reported that Haley repeatedly paid fines for not paying her income taxes on time. However, during the first Republican presidential debate and a frequent line used on the campaign and in media appearances, Haley claims "It's time for an accountant in the White House." Haley and her husband filed their taxes late starting in 2004. "Tax records revealed Wednesday showed South Carolina Republican gubernatorial nominee Nikki Haley repeatedly paid fines for not paying her income taxes on time. Haley, a fiscal conservative and tea party favorite, cites her experience as an accountant on the campaign trail. But she and her husband have filed their taxes late since at least 2004, according to records released by her campaign. In 2004, the couple received state and federal refunds, but since then the state legislator and her husband have been fined nearly $4,500 on late federal taxes owed. Their tax returns for 2005 and 2006 were each filed more than 14 months late." |
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Nikki Haley Loves China |
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Nikki Haley Described Communist China As Being “A Really Great Friend Of Ours” While representing America as ambassador to the United Nations, Haley described Communist China as being “a really great friend of ours.” (Video) “‘I think China is really in good faith doing quite a bit,’ Haley said. ‘They are trying to put pressure on North Korea. What we've said is we want you to put more pressure on North Korea, whether that's with coal, whether that's with oil, whether that's with other sanctions ... I think China's been a really great friend of ours, and the way they came together with us to do the statement last week showed that we are united against wanting North Korea to stay away from doing any sort of nuclear threats.’” Haley Called Communist China “A Friend” In A 2014 Thank-You Letter To Chinese Ambassador Cui Tiankai Haley hailed China as “a friend” in a 2014 thank-you letter to Chinese Ambassador Cui Tiankai. Haley added that she is “grateful” for China’s “contributions on the economic front.” Chinese Ambassador Cui Tiankai “had written in his letter to Haley that China is ‘glad to see that the overall ties between China and South Carolina have been growing rapidly in recent years.… I look forward to continuing to work with you.’” Haley Expanded Chinese Investments In South Carolina And Gave 197 Acres Of Free Land To A Chinese Company Run By Communist Party Officials Fox News headline: “Nikki Haley welcomed Chinese companies to South Carolina as governor, in contrast to current hawkishness” Fox News headline: “Haley facing heat for bringing Chinese company to South Carolina, standing next to CCP flag praising them” While serving as governor from 2011 to 2017, Haley recruited Chinese companies to her state and Chinese capital investments in South Carolina “more than doubled from $308 million in 2011 to nearly $670 million in 2015.” While Haley was governor, Haley welcomed China investments in South Carolina. Haley brought the first Chinese-owned automaker into the U.S. In 2015, Volvo selected South Carolina for a $500 Million Assembly plant. In a 2016 video message, Haley celebrated a deal that brought a business with ties to the Chinese Communist Party to her home state. “‘It's a great day in South Carolina. I am so sorry I'm not there with you in person to celebrate what is a fantastic announcement by the Jushi Group,’ Haley said in a 2016 video message obtained by ABC News that was played at a signing ceremony in Tongxiang, Zhejiang Province, to celebrate a deal bringing a manufacturing plant owned by China Jushi, a partially state-owned fiberglass company, to South Carolina's Richland County.” “‘We want to thank Chairman Zhang and everyone at the Jushi Group for allowing South Carolina to be the first location of your first U.S. manufacturing hub,’ Haley said in the video.” In 2017, Haley said that it was “fine” for China to be “everywhere in the world.” “HALEY: I think what you have to look at is, you know, China and Russia play very different roles. They both are getting involved across the world in all different pockets. Their tentacles are everywhere. Russia is doing it through elections and through military actions and through trying to get involved in conversations. China is doing it economically. If you look at their infrastructure, they are everywhere in the world now and they want to continue to do that so that they have a stronghold. And what we need to do is say that's fine, if they're going to continue to do that, they're also going to have to be accountable for the things that they are responsible for. And we do think North Korea is one of those that they need to be held accountable for.” Haley gave 197 acres of free land to a Chinese company run by Communist Party officials. “According to the contract between the county and China Jushi, a key part of the deal was the company’s receiving 197 acres of land, valued at $4.9 million. The company would have been required to pay back part of the land’s value if it did not invest an expected amount of money or create an expected number of jobs.” Haley Opposed Tariffs On Goods Made In China In 2014, Haley wanted the U.S. Commerce Department to lower a tariff on tires made in China by Giti Tire, which was in the middle of building a $560 million plant in South Carolina. The tariffs were initially imposed to compete with hefty subsidies Chinese manufacturers receive from the Communist Party. Haley Said Chinese Workers Can Help Show Americans How To Work Hard Haley said Chinese workers can help show Americans how to work hard. “They work with passion and they work with urgency - like there is no time to waste and they want it all done yesterday… And we're saying: let's get that passion again. And that's why I think the Chinese investments are good for us. Because it reminds us of what this energy feels like. They can remind us that we need to focus on that again.” During Haley’s Tenure As Governor Of South Carolina, The State Partnered With A CCP-Linked Group To Send 20 Students To A Beijing Summer Camp While Haley was governor of South Carolina, the state partnered with a group led by the Chinese communist government to send more than a dozen students to a Beijing summer camp. “‘The South Carolina Department of Education is pleased to partner with the Beijing International Education Exchange (BIEE),’ a March 2015 memorandum on the state’s education department website reads. ‘The international division of the Beijing Municipal Education Commission is delighted to announce that invitations will be extended to 20 secondary school students from across South Carolina to attend the 5th Beijing International Student Summer Camp this year.’” “On behalf of BIEE, we invite all high schools in South Carolina to recommend 20 secondary students, between the ages of 14 to 18, to participate in the program. The camp will take place from July 14 – 23, 2015 in Beijing.” In 2007, Haley Attended The World Economic Forum (WEF) In Dalian, China. According to a Haley press release from 2007, she attended the WEF in Dalian, China. South Carolina was the only state in the nation invited to attend the event, and Haley called it a “a rare opportunity for us to expand economic development prospects here in Lexington County and across our state.” KISS OF DEATH: Nikki Haley’s Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week "Polls continue to show the more voters get to know who the real Nikki Haley is, the more they despise her. That’s understandable, considering she’s for higher taxes, supports open borders policies, and is soft on China. Instead of running as a Republican, she should have run as a Democrat because there’s nothing conservative about her record. Now she’s resorted to throwing temper tantrums on X because she quite frankly doesn’t have the funds to run an effective campaign. That’s a tell-tale sign of a dying and desperate campaign that’s quickly going nowhere. What do you get when you have a broke campaign with a terrible candidate? A one-way ticket to irrelevancy. When she finally drops out, she’ll be asking herself if all of this was worth it. Meanwhile, Team Trump crisscrossed her home state of South Carolina with events featuring some of the strongest state leaders supporting President Trump. From Columbia to Myrtle Beach, Haley’s disastrous record on illegal immigration and acquiescing to China was put on full display. When Haley is losing the state by close to 30 points in some polls, not even her own former constituents want her near the nomination because she simply doesn't have what it takes to beat Crooked Joe Biden." — Steven Cheung, Trump spokesperson POLITICO — Nikki Haley finally got Trump one-on-one. There’s a reason she’s still losing. THE NATIONAL PULSE — Trump Leads Biden In ALL SEVEN Swing States. - January 31, 2024 - ICYMI: Important Articles and Posts from President Trump Poll: 60% View Nikki Haley Unfavorably, up 9 Points Read the full article by Wendell Husebo with Breitbart here. Tucker Carlson: You're Going To Get Violence If You Keep This **** Up, "The Charges Against Trump Are Not Real" Read the full article by Ian Schwartz with Real Clear Politics here. Wife Of Fulton County Trump Prosecutor Alleges He Took Money From Her Account, Left Her In ‘Dire Need’ Read the full article by Katelynn Richardson with the Daily Caller here. ‘Lacks Any Limiting Principles’: Colorado’s Ruling Kicking Trump Off Ballot Violates Constitution, Legal Experts Say Read the full article by Katelynn Richardson with the Daily Caller here. Republicans threaten to remove Biden from 2024 ballot, mirroring efforts to jettison Trump Read the full article by Natalie Mittelstadt with Just the News here. Exclusive: Republicans Drafting Bills to Remove Joe Biden from Ballots in Georgia, Arizona, Pennsylvania Read the full article by Wendell Husebo with Breitbart here. MORRISEY: As Political Persecution Ramps Up, West Virginia Has Trump’s Back Read the full article by Patrick Morrisey with the Daily Caller here. Poll: Donald Trump Competitive with Joe Biden in Colorado as He Looks to Expand Electoral Battleground Read the full article by Nick Gilbertson with Breitbart here. Rep Tenney nominates Trump for Nobel Peace Prize for 'historic' Abraham Accords Read the full article by Jamie Joseph and Brooke Singman with Fox News here. ‘Not A Big Deal’: Rank-And-File Autoworkers Are Bucking UAW Biden Endorsement, Say They Can ‘Think For’ Themselves Read the full article by Will Kessler with the Daily Caller here. Poll: 1 in 5 Mail-In Voters Admit Fraud in 2020 Election Read the full article by Fred Lucas with the Daily Signal here. Biden Has The Power To End The Border Crisis Without Congress. He Just Doesn’t Want To Read the full article by Jordan Boyd with the Federalist here. Stolen valor in New Hampshire: Nikki Haley is a trans loser Read the full article by Charles Hurt with the Washington Times here. Poll: Donald Trump Boasts Blowout Lead over Nikki Haley Read the full article by Hannah Bleau Knudsen with Breitbart here. NY Dem Rep. Yvette Clarke Says the Quiet Part Out Loud About Illegals -“I Need More People in My District Just for Redistricting Purposes” Read the full article by Margaret Flavin with the Gateway Pundit here. Trump Wins Again: Illinois Board of Elections Votes to Keep Trump on 2024 Ballot Read the full article by Summer Lane with RSBN here. “Twitter Files” Reporter Matt Taibbi Uncovers Plot To Stop Trump, Democracy Be Damned Read the full article by Shane Harris with AMAC here. Let’s Be Clear: the Attack in Jordan Never Would Have Happened Under Trump Read the full article by Summer Lane with RSBN here. The voters are rejecting Washington’s failed border deal Read the full article by Sen. Rick Scott for the Hill here. Exclusive – Sebastian Gorka Exposes Lawfare Being Weaponized Against Trump: ‘We Need President Trump Back’ Read the full article by Bradley Jaye with Breitbart here. ‘Fake News’: Trump Campaign Bashes Fox News for False Report About RFK Jr. as Running Mate, Says Never Will Happen Read the full article by Simon Kent with Breitbart here. Snoop Dogg Vows ‘Nothing but Love and Respect’ for Donald Trump Read the full article by Simon Kent with Breitbart here. Trump increases national lead on Haley to 63 points: Morning Consult Poll Read the full article by Sara Higdon with the Post Millennial here. |
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- February 2, 2024 - |
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ICYMI: Important Articles and Posts from President Trump |
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‘Peace Has a Name: Donald Trump’ — Viktor Orbán Says Trump Only Leader ‘Strong Enough’ to End War in Ukraine Read the full article by Kurt Zindulka with Breitbart here. Ex-Soros Investment Chief Confirms ‘Trump Rally’ is Behind Stock Market Surge. Read the full article from the National Pulse here. Trump Leading Biden By More Than He Ever Has Before Read the full article by Mary Lou Masters with the Daily Caller here. Nolte: Nikki Haley Losing to ‘None of the Above’ in Nevada Read the full article from Breitbart here. Ex-Soros Investing Chief Bessent Bets on ‘Trump Rally’ Ahead of US Election Read the full article by Katherine Burton with Bloomberg here. Billionaire investor says a 'Trump rally' is powering markets to record highs Read the full article by Rob Crilly with the Daily Mail here. KENNY CODY: Only Trump can fix the Republican party and the country
Trump: America’s ‘Coat’ for a Globalist Winter Read the full article by J.B. Shurk with the American Thinker here.
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