As evidenced by the first GOP primary debate, Nikki Haley really doesn’t like Vivek Ramaswamy. Last night confirmed her distrust of the young buck in the GOP primary race.
During the second fiery match among the remaining seven Republican candidates remaining (former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson didn’t make the cut), Haley’s attacks against the Republican newcomer escalated.
The former Governor of South Carolina received some reinforcement from her cohort in The Palmetto State, Senator Tim Scott, who also attempted to slash Vivek’s reputation.
But it was Haley who really went for the jugular.
Haley Hammers Vivek
During a debate about China and the dangers of TikTok, Haley hammered the biotech millionaire.
“TikTok is one of the most dangerous social media apps that we could have. And what you’ve got—I honestly, every time I hear you, I feel a little bit dumber for what you say,” Haley said.
She continued her rant, accusing Ramaswamy of being cozy with China.
“What we’ve seen is you’ve gone and you’ve helped China make medicines in China, not America. You’re now wanting kids to go and get on the social media that’s dangerous for all of us. You went and you were in business with the Chinese that gave Hunter Biden five million dollars.”
Haley said the quite part out loud to Ramaswamy: “We can’t trust you.”
She reiterated her now popular phrase, “A win for Russia is a win for China” and followed it up saying to him, “I forgot you like China.”
Chris Christie and Ron DeSantis both chimed in, but it was difficult to hear what anyone was saying amidst the shouting.
During Scott’s condemnation of Ramaswamy’s involvement with China, viewers could faintly hear DeSantis try to break through with a proclamation that time was being wasted as he encouraged his fellow candidates to stick to policy issues.
“Let’s focus on holding Joe Biden accountable, that’s what we need to be focusing on,” DeSantis said, coming to Ramaswamy’s aid.
DeSantis Gets Slapped
Ramaswamy wasn’t the only victim of Haley’s fury. She unleashed on DeSantis, blasting him for taking green agenda money and prohibiting fracking in Florida.
DeSantis was quick to fire back. “She’s just totally wrong,” to which Haley confronted the Florida governor.
“Check it. Check it,” Haley insisted.
Amid cries of “that is not true” from the accused hopeful, the former Trump administration envoy claimed, “You did it.” She added, “day two in Florida you banned fracking, you banned offshore drilling, you did it on federal lands.”
Even Friends are Foes
The former UN Ambassador under Donald Trump also sought to put her fellow statesman in a body bag. Both her and Scott dissed their customary Southern manners.
Scott started the smack talk. “Talk about someone who has never seen a federal dollar she doesn’t like. Ten cents on the gallon in South Carolina. As the UN Ambassador, you literally …”
Haley wasn’t intimidated. “Bring it, Tim.”
Scott accused Haley of spending $50,000 on curtains in a $15 million subsidized location, referring to a State Department allocation — made during the Obama administration and not by Ms. Haley — for $52,701 for the installation of customized window curtains in the high-rise apartment for the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
Haley retorted, “You got bad information” and things devolved from there.
Caught in the crossfire, DeSantis and Ramaswamy could be seen chuckling during the feisty exchange.
It’s pretty obvious Haley is attempting to flex her strength, trying to prove she has no reservations about playing with the big boys.
Such posturing is natural for women in a male dominated field, especially one as ego driven as politics.
However, Haley was more than contentious. She was, at times, downright nasty.
It may not matter. Judging from the past seven years, it seems Americans don’t mind a little bit of nasty and Haley’s primary performance may have even given her weak standing in the primary a bit of a boost.
Jennifer Galardi is the politics and culture editor for 19FortyFive.com. She has a Master’s in Public Policy from Pepperdine University and produces and hosts the podcast Connection with conversations that address health, culture, politics and policy. In a previous life, she wrote for publications in the health, fitness, and nutrition space. In addition, her pieces have been published in the Epoch Times and Pepperdine Policy Review. You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter.
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