Nikki Haley Attacks DeSantis As ‘Mini Trump . . . Without The Charm’

Topline

Former South Carolina Gov. and 2024 GOP presidential contender Nikki Haley criticized Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) ahead of his widely expected entrance into the presidential race in a memo Tuesday that casts DeSantis as a lesser alternative to Trump, while repeating many of the ex-president’s talking points about his former protege.

Republican presidential candidate and former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley holds a rally in … [+] Greer, South Carolina, United States on May 4, 2023 (Photo by Peter Zay/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Key Facts

Haley chided DeSantis for appearing to “mimic” Trump on everything from his body language to policy positions, her campaign wrote in the memo, which includes side-by-side images of Trump and DeSantis making similar gestures during speaking engagements.

Haley’s campaign pointed out that DeSantis promoted his alliance with Trump in his 2018 campaign for governor, bolstering Trump’s claim that he shepherded DeSantis’ political rise.

The literature attacks DeSantis’ personality, a frequent Trump tactic, stating “the glaring difference between the two is DeSantis’ inability to interact directly with voters,” a reference to observations that DeSantis often appears stiff and impersonable in public.

Haley’s team also gives a nod to Trump’s 1987 book, The Art of the Deal, in taking a jab at DeSantis’ negotiating skills over Disney’s cancellation of a $1 billion development in Orlando: “He must’ve skipped that chapter,” the memo states.

The memo criticizes Trump, mostly by pairing him with DeSantis: Haley promoted her own pro-Ukraine stance in rebuking Trump’s and DeSantis’ remarks suggesting the U.S. should scale back its engagement in the conflict, and she also accused both of being “afraid to talk about how they would approach abortion” (Trump and DeSantis have not said whether they support a national abortion ban, while Haley has said it’s politically unrealistic).

Contra

The pro-DeSantis super PAC, Never Back Down, hit back at Haley after she criticized DeSantis’ war with Disney last month by airing an advertisement of Disney officials touting the company’s use of LGBTQIA characters, paired with a clip of Haley saying she would welcome the company to South Carolina. “Mickey Haley!” the super PAC tweeted. Never Back Down also suggested Haley is “trying really hard” to be Trump’s vice presidential pick.

Key Background

Haley became Trump’s first GOP challenger when she announced her candidacy in February. A former United Nations ambassador under Trump, Haley said in 2021 she would not enter the GOP primary race and instead support Trump if he ran again, but left open the possibility that she could change her mind, telling the Associated Press, “that’s something we will have a conversation about at some point.” Trump has largely ignored Haley and the four other major candidates to formally declare challenges to him thus far, and has instead focused his ire on DeSantis, launching near-daily attacks as DeSantis gears up to announce his presidential campaign. One area where Haley has veered into the fray with Trump is January 6. “It was not a beautiful day, it was a terrible day, and we don’t ever want that to happen again,” she recently told supporters in Iowa, a reference to Trump’s comments during a town hall with CNN earlier this month where he expressed plans to pardon convicted January 6 rioters and called it an “unbelievable” and “beautiful” day.

Tangent

Trump welcomed both Haley and Sen. Tim Scott’s (R-S.C.) entrances into the race as his advisors reportedly hope the growing candidate field will draw votes away from DeSantis and allow Trump to secure the nomination. “The general thinking is that Scott getting in is another sign that there is blood in the water for DeSantis,” one Trump advisor recently told Politico.

What To Watch For

DeSantis is widely expected to formally declare his candidacy with the Federal Election Commission this week, followed by a formal announcement sometime after Memorial Day from his hometown of Dunedin, Florida.