With the clock ticking on the 2024 primary fight, Republican presidential contenders are resuming their campaigns in a desperate attempt to prove they can depose Donald Trump.
In the final days leading up to the January 15th election in Iowa, Trump’s crucial strength as the party’s undisputed leader is being further demonstrated. The former president has a history of breaking campaign decorum norms and igniting scandals and outrages that would derail an ordinary contender. His racial insensitivity, recent statements that evoke Nazi propaganda, and 2020 effort to undermine American democracy in order to remain in power following a loss in the election have not diminished his attractiveness to primary voters at the grassroots level.
However, the race has progressed to the point where every gaffe, incident, or remark made by one candidate might derail their final argument and subject them to severe national scrutiny.
Walking into a dispute over slavery that revived one of the most acrimonious chapters of her record, former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley faced this reality the moment she got back onto the trail following the Christmas holiday on Wednesday night.
At a town hall event, an attendee asked Haley what caused the Civil War. Haley would rather headlines be about her surge in New Hampshire, which could give her a platform to compete directly with Trump. However, when asked about slavery, the historic curse that tore the nation apart, she gave an equivocating answer, completely ignoring the question. It shouldn’t have been hard to brush that question aside, but Haley gave a rambling response that skirted the topics of state sovereignty and individual liberties against governmental overreach.
“Don’t come with an easy question,” Haley warned during a New Hampshire town hall event.
To be honest, I believe that the fundamental question of how the government would be managed was the impetus for the Civil War. “The liberties and the limitations on human activity,” Haley remarked.
“In the year 2023, it’s astonishing to me that you answer that question without mentioning the word’slavery.'” The questioner expressed their dissatisfaction with the response.
“Of course the Civil War was about slavery,” Haley clarified on Thursday morning, attempting to set the record straight.
“We are aware that it is the simpler aspect of it. To clarify, I was asking what it signifies for us in the present day. Freedom is the theme of the day. That was the whole point. The topic at hand was personal autonomy. The topic was liberty in the economy. The topic at hand was personal freedoms. Haley stated during an interview with radio broadcaster Jack Heath that their objective is to ensure that slavery is never reinstated.
In Wednesday’s lengthy and evasive statements, Haley seemed to be trying to cater to the conservative audience of a Republican primary that has moved far to the right. Her campaign did not provide an immediate statement. A key point that Haley’s supporters will bring up is her role as governor in the controversial decision to lower the Confederate flag above the capital of South Carolina. This was a very touchy subject in her own state due to its tragic racial history. Nonetheless, she had previously wavered on the matter of the flag for years, which opponents see as celebrating slavery and defenders regard as resonant with the tradition of the South and honouring those who died in the Civil War. This decision came after a terrible shooting at a Black church in Charleston in 2015.
Just when Haley’s campaign was taking off, the Civil War issue reared its ugly head again, threatening to derail her gains. And her competitors may be able to take advantage of this. Video of her event was shared on the X account belonging to the Florida governor’s support network, the DeSantis War Room, along with the caption “Yikes.” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is trying to use Haley in New Hampshire as political leverage, although he has had his share of racial issues during his campaign, including a dispute around his administration’s attempts to mandate the teaching of Black history in New Hampshire public schools.
Not only that, but prominent Democrats like President Joe Biden’s official campaign account blasted Haley, stating, “It was about slavery.” This highlights the potential impact of the criticism over her comments on the general election, even though it seems improbable that she will become the GOP nominee. Her detractors will undoubtedly use Wednesday’s video of her response to continue their long-running claim that she caters to her audiences’ preferences rather than being as forthright as she claims to be.
As a result of the base voters’ perception that it is being driven by liberals and media sources they dislike, Haley’s comments in New Hampshire may not immediately hurt her in a Republican primary. However, Trump might benefit from anything that undermines her candidature. Furthermore, this matter may resurface in February, when the focus shifts to the South Carolina primary, which may be the last confrontation in the GOP nomination battle. If Haley wants to win over Democratic and independent voters in New Hampshire who are opposed to Trump, she may have a harder time doing it in the state due to the scandal.
On Thursday, Haley and DeSantis will have events in Iowa and New Hampshire, the states where their underdog bids for the Republican nomination first take root.
While everyone else is busy celebrating the holidays, the distant GOP front-runner is stepping up his unconventional and frequently weird 2024 campaign. As he continues to fight a legal battle that is inseparable from his candidature for the White House, the former president—who is facing 91 criminal counts across four cases—told his opponents to “ROT IN HELL” in a nasty Christmas message.
Following the Michigan Supreme Court’s Wednesday decision to uphold his eligibility to vote notwithstanding the Constitutional prohibition on insurrectionists holding public office, he rejoiced. The Republican Party of Colorado is appealing a ruling by the Colorado Supreme Court that removed him from the ballot, and Trump is expected to submit his own appeal shortly.
Also, in a hint of his authoritarian tendencies, Trump shared a word cloud on social media showing that “revenge” is the word most people think of when they think of his possible second term in office.
Meanwhile, Joe Biden is enjoying a quiet New Year’s getaway in the US Virgin Islands, basking in the tranquilly before the year that will determine if he becomes one of the few presidents to serve only one term or if he can claim political pardon by being reelected. His 2020 coalition is beginning to fracture, and he faces challenges like as low approval ratings, a negative national mood, ageism, and doubts about his ability to lead. To argue that his predecessor posed too great a threat to democracy to be re-elected in 2024, Trump may be resorting to his wild fanaticism.
Before the Iowa caucuses and the first-in-the-nation GOP primary in New Hampshire a week later, Haley would normally be at her height in a typical campaign. In New Hampshire, where she presents a compelling case for being the most credible anti-Trump candidate, her steady ascent in polls and donor enthusiasm, stemming from her debate performances and astute political positioning, has generated momentum. If the upcoming nominating contests are to accomplish anything beyond determining Trump’s running mate, a huge upset is required, given the former president’s commanding presence within the GOP.
But Haley’s plan to vaguely attack Trump for being a chaotic force, rather than targeting his biggest possible general election vulnerability—his assault on democracy with his false statements regarding the 2020 election and his four pending criminal trials—is about to reach a critical point. To preserve his popularity among GOP primary voters, Haley has been reluctant to publicly criticise Trump. A month later, in her home state of South Carolina—where Trump is wildly popular—she would still face a confrontation, regardless of how effective that strategy is in New Hampshire.
Chris Sununu, the popular Republican governor of New Hampshire, who endorsed Haley and has long said that his state will alter the GOP primary contest and start Trump’s gradual eclipse, intends to make multiple appearances with her in the next days.
Because there are so many Republicans running, it’s unlikely that anyone will be able to unseat the former president. In a seven-figure ad campaign debuted in New Hampshire on Thursday, former New Jersey governor Chris Christie pushed back against those who were demanding for his withdrawal from the race, vowing to remain in it. On Fox News Wednesday, biotech tycoon Vivek Ramaswamy said, “We’re going with this to the very end.” Ramaswamy has fiercely denied rumours that his team’s decision to withdraw advertising is a symptom of a failed campaign.