Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley on Thursday slammed Donald Trump and allied groups for spending more than $50 million of political contributors’ money on the former president’s legal expenses, calling the outlay “unconscionable” and arguing that Trump’s thin campaign schedule was the result of a cash crunch.
“It is unconscionable to me that a candidate would spend $50 million in legal fees,” Haley told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “The Lead.” “It explains why he’s not doing many rallies. He doesn’t have the money to do it. It explains why he doesn’t want to get on a debate stage, because he doesn’t want to talk about why he’s doing it.”
Haley also suggested that Trump’s anger after the New Hampshire primary, despite his winning it handily, is rooted in his financial situation and desire for all the donor dollars to start “going to him (so) he doesn’t have to spend anymore.”
Trump this year became the first non-incumbent Republican presidential candidate to win both the Iowa caucuses and Granite State primary, putting him on a mostly clear path to his third straight nomination. But Haley, the last major rival in his way, insists she plans to stay in the race and build momentum – first with a strong showing in her home state of South Carolina on February 24, and then on Super Tuesday in March.
Extending the race into next month will largely hinge on Haley’s ability to defy expectations in the Palmetto State, where she spent more than a decade as lawmaker and governor, being elected twice to state’s top office. Still, a Washington Post-Monmouth University poll out Thursday showed Trump with a 26-point lead there, 58% to 32%, with a little more than three weeks until the vote.
Asked whether she was committed to staying in the race no matter the results, Haley stopped short of a clear “yes,” but said she was confident of narrowing the contest in South Carolina, and improving on past performances as the race goes on.
“I’m not going anywhere because I don’t want my kids to live like this,” Haley said. “I don’t want anybody else’s kids to live like this. We have been in total distraction for a long time, and we know that when America’s distracted, the world is less safe.”
https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/01/politics/haley-interview-cnntv/index.html