Presidential candidate Nikki Haley tried to clean up her confused Civil War comments by mentioning that she had “black friends growing up” following the backlash.
The 2024 candidate faced a barrage of criticism and hateful comments last month for answering a question at a New Hampshire town hall on the subject of the Civil War without once mentioning slavery.
She has since walked back her answer, saying “of course” the war was about slavery and suggesting the question was asked by a Democratic “factory” trying to get the media to attack her.
In response to a question from an Iowa caucus voter during a town hall hosted by CNN last night, former South Carolina Gov. Haley admitted that she should have addressed slavery in her first answer, citing her own experiences when she grew up in an Indian family in the south.
“I should have said slavery from the start,” she began. “Growing up in South Carolina, you literally learn about slavery in second and third grade. “You grow up and you know, I had black friends as a kid,” she told host Erin Burnett.
“It's a thing that's talked about a lot.” “We have a lot of history in South Carolina when it comes to slavery, when it comes to all the things that happened in the Civil War, all of that,” Haley said during the town hall meeting.
Nikki Haley's parents, Ajit and Raj Randhawa, are in the center, surrounded by their children. Nikki is in the sweater on the left
Then-South Carolina Governor-elect Nikki Haley hugs her mother Raj Randhawa after speaking to voters at Hudson's Smokehouse on November 3, 2010
Speaking to Iowa caucus voters on Thursday, Nikki Haley expressed a conciliatory stance toward Trump over his legal concerns and hinted that she would pardon the former president
“It wasn't just about slavery, it was about racism,” she continued. “We had black friends, we had white friends, but it was always a topic of conversation.”
“I was done – I was thinking beyond slavery and talking about the lesson we would learn in the future.” “I shouldn't have done that,” she told the Iowa voter.
Haley also caused a stir during the town hall meeting when she said she might pardon former boss and current rival Donald Trump, while Ron DeSantis accused the president of being pro-abortion at town hall meetings in Iowa on Thursday.
Haley and DeSantis are still considered major underdogs to Trump in the Republican primary, but Haley's campaign has gained momentum in recent weeks. A poll showed her trailing Trump by just four points in New Hampshire.
In a conversation with an Iowa Caucus voter on Thursday, Haley was conciliatory about Trump's legal troubles and hinted that she would pardon the former president.
“I don't think our country will move forward if an 80-year-old president is in prison and our country remains divided. “We have to move forward,” she told one voter.
Trump faces more than half a dozen lawsuits related to election interference, the Jan. 6 riots and falsification of business records.
Although these are civil cases, Trump faces prison time if convicted in some cases.
Haley, who served as Trump's ambassador to the United Nations, added that the pardon would be in vain compared to Gerald Ford's pardon of Richard Nixon in 1974.
“It’s about what’s in the best interest of the country,” she added.
Meanwhile, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis sought to hit Trump from his right flank at his town hall, which followed Haley's.
DeSantis, whose poll numbers fell largely at the expense of the former South Carolina governor, attacked Trump over abortion.
“Donald Trump has said that pro-life protections are a 'terrible thing,' even at the state level, and he said that in relation to bills like the Heartbeat bill.”
He cited the need for a commander in chief who would defend conservative states' desires to make abortions illegal.
“This was a guy who spoke at the March For Life in January 2020 and said all life is a gift from God, he said the unborn is made in the image of God, he said there should be protection.”
Nikki Haley grew up as a toddler in South Carolina
“Just like Nixon.”
Nikki Haley says she would pardon Trump: 'It's not about guilt or innocence. It’s about what’s in the best interest of the country… pardoning Trump and moving on is in the best interest of the country.” pic.twitter.com/mBtoUe5Ipy
– Republicans Against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) January 5, 2024
DeSantis, whose poll numbers fell largely at the expense of the former South Carolina governor, attacked Trump over abortion
DeSantis argued that Trump, who blamed the “abortion issue” on Republican losses in 2022, was not pro-life
“He said that when he was president, and now he says it's a terrible, terrible thing.” How do you reconcile those two views?
When CNN's Kaitlin Collins asked if Trump was pro-life, he replied, “Of course not.”
“Some issues are pretty fundamental. How can you turn the sanctity of life upside down?
Trump, for his part, has blamed “the abortion issue” for Republicans’ worse-than-expected performance in the 2022 midterm elections.
“It was the 'abortion question,' which was badly handled by many Republicans, especially those who were adamant about making no exceptions, even in cases of rape, incest, or the life of the mother, that lost many voters,” he posted to Truth Social at the time.
Former President Trump believes not only that mainstream abortion lost voters, but also that those who saw the overturning of Roe v. Wade then disappeared from the political process altogether.
“The people who were so harshly anti-abortion for decades got their wish from the U.S. Supreme Court and simply disappeared, never to be seen again,” he said.
DeSantis and Haley fought a duel at the CNN town hall. Both positioned themselves as alternatives to Trump, but still represented many of his political principles.
Nikki Haley is rising in the polls. Now she's drawing fire from the campaigns of Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis as we reach the business end of the nominating contest
A poll released Thursday in New Hampshire shows Haley cementing her position as the candidate best suited to beat Donald Trump when Republicans in the state choose their favorite later this month.
According to pollsters at the American Research Group, she is only four points behind Trump.
The gap is the same as in December, but these two candidates have further separated themselves from the pack, winning over voters who said they were undecided last time.
According to the full results, Trump is in the lead with 37 percent, Haley with 33. Former New Jersey Gov. Christie has fallen to 10 percent (from 13), while DeSantis is in fourth place with five percent (from six). and technology entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy in fourth place is four percent (out of five).
Haley has seen her strong debate performances and key endorsements turn into poll momentum in recent weeks as the candidates near the business end of the race.
Iowa is the first state to elect its preferred candidate on January 15th. Trump is well ahead in the polls there, but a strong showing from DeSantis or Haley could see them crowned the top challenger.
New Hampshire holds its primary on Jan. 23 and Haley has made it clear she is aiming for a win.
Their momentum has made them the No. 1 target for both Trump and DeSantis, who have maintained a steady stream of attacks.
JL Partners surveyed 984 likely voters across the country from December 15-20. The results have a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, but show former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley performing best among Republican competitors against Joe Biden
A rolling average of polls in Iowa compiled by statistics website FiveThirtyEight puts DeSantis at 18.4 percent and Haley at 15.7 percent. Trump is clearly ahead with 50 percent of the vote.
Caucuses are notoriously difficult to predict, but the numbers suggest Haley's best bet may be in New Hampshire, where she is 19 points behind Trump and well ahead of DeSantis.
Several strong debate performances and major endorsements have given her momentum as the race heads to its business end.