Nikki Haley calls Trump and Biden ‘equally bad’ for the nation

As Indian American Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley emerged as the sole challenger to Donald Trump ahead of New Hampshire primary Tuesday, she called both the former President and President Joe Biden “equally bad” for the nation.

In an interview with CNN Sunday, Haley blasted the two presidential front-runners for focusing too much on the past and not talking about “solutions of the future.”

She said that she has “no drama” and “no vendettas” as she attempts to pull off a surprise win in New Hampshire following the exit of Florida Gov Ron DeSantis, leaving Haley as the only major challenger to Trump in the Republican presidential race.

When pressed further on whether Biden and Trump are “equally bad,” she told CNN that they were and attacked them both over their age.

“I mean, if they were — if either one of them was good I wouldn’t be running. Yes, they are equally bad, that’s why I’m running is because I don’t think we need to have Biden or Trump. I don’t think we need to have two 80-year-olds sitting in the White House when we’ve basically got to make sure that we can handle the war situation that — that we’re in,” she said.

“We need to know they’re at the top of their game. We need to know that they can take care of our national security and our economy. Right now, I don’t know that people feel like that with either one. So that’s why we’re giving them a choice,” she added.

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Meanwhile, New Hampshire’s Union Leader newspaper on Sunday endorsed former Haley in the New Hampshire Republican presidential primary.

“If you can select a Republican ballot on Tuesday,” it wrote Sunday, “we urge you to select Nikki Haley as your next president. New Hampshire is ready for a change. America is ready for a change. The world is ready for a change. We want a better option than we have had for the past eight years, and Nikki Haley is that option.”

“She is easily the most qualified candidate on either ballot,” it said. “Nikki Haley is an accountant by career and training. Nikki Haley is a mother. Nikki Haley is a military spouse. Nikki Haley is the child of immigrants. Nikki Haley has experience as a successful governor and a diplomat.”

“New Hampshire can prove that the independent-minded voters of the Granite State will not be told the election is a done deal,” the endorsement said. “New Hampshire can prove that nothing is inevitable and send Nikki Haley home to South Carolina with a head of steam.”

TV judge Judy Sheindlin, better known as Judge Judy to fans of her courtroom-based reality show, is also rooting for Haley after decades of being “pretty apolitical.”

“When I saw the field, I thought, ‘I want to get to know this lady,” she said at a Haley rally Sunday, Politico reported. As Sheindlin spoke, someone in the crowd shouted, “Send Trump to prison!” It prompted a few cheers but not much more of a reaction.

Sunday’s rally was among Haley’s largest, highest-energy campaign events to date, filling a high school auditorium as Donald Trump held his own rally in another part of the state.

Nikki Haley calls herself ‘best hope of stopping Trump-Biden nightmare’ (January 16, 2024)

“Can you hear that sound? That’s the sound of a two-person race,” Haley said, now for the first time in earnest since DeSantis’ departure from the race.

Haley largely stuck to her standard stump speech. She drew sustained applause from the crowd when she repeated her oft-used line that “chaos follows” Trump.

Meanwhile, Trump, who scored a 30-point win in Iowa’s caucuses last week, has widened his lead in  New Hampshire Republican presidential primary according to new polls.

Trump now holds 50% support among likely Republican primary voters in the Granite State, while his closest competitor, Haley, stands at 39%, according to a CNN poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire.

Both have gained supporters since the last CNN/UNH poll in early January – when Trump held 39% to Haley’s 32% – as the field of major contenders has shrunk.

Both Trump and Haley now hold their highest level of support in UNH polling on the race since 2021. But Haley’s sharp gains since late last summer have not been enough to catch Trump, as the gap between them has once again widened to double digits.

DeSantis who quit the race Sunday stood at just 6% in the poll, below the 10% minimum support he would need to win delegates there per the Republican Party’s rules.

Nikki Haley recalls facing racism as daughter of Indian immigrants(January 5, 2024)

In a Monmouth University/Washington Post poll of 712 potential Republican primary voters in New Hampshire, Trump received 52% support, up from 46% in a survey conducted in November 2023.

Haley’s support in the new poll nearly doubled since November. She now has 34% support, up from 18% in November.

The poll was conducted Jan 16-20 before DeSantis ended his presidential campaign on Sunday. His support in this poll stands at 8%, compared to 7% in November.

While Haley is more popular among independent voters, her lead is not overwhelming. The poll suggests that even the increased independent voter turnout remains unlikely to close the gap with Trump. Haley’s support stands at 48% among independents, compared to Trump’s 38%