Meanwhile the former South Carolinian’s campaign and affiliated PACs have stepped up their own attacks on the GOP presidential frontrunner.
Former President Donald Trump went on the offensive against former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley during a stump speech in New Hampshire.
President Trump’s speech, delivered in the town of Atkinson, comes on the heels of a historic victory in the Iowa Caucus.
In the Jan. 15 caucuses, President Trump received a record-shattering 51 percent of the vote. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis came in a distant second with 21 percent. Ms. Haley came in third with 19 percent.
Though he came in second, the results were less than Mr. DeSantis may have hoped for in a state where he’s poured much of his campaign energy.
But Mr. DeSantis wasn’t President Trump’s main target in New Hampshire, where Mr. DeSantis is polling at an average of 6.5 percent, according to RealClearPolitics.
Instead, President Trump focused his energy on Ms. Haley, who’s polling at a much more menacing 29.3 percent in the state.
President Trump was joined in New Hampshire by his erstwhile rival, biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
Mr. Ramaswamy dropped out of the race following the Iowa caucus after it became clear that he had failed to achieve the upset he hoped for in the Hawkeye State. He immediately endorsed President Trump.
Speaking in New Hampshire, both men attacked Ms. Haley.
President Trump said that Ms. Haley’s backers are “pro-amnesty, they’re pro-China, they’re pro-open borders … they’re pro-war … they’re pro-Biden, frankly.”
He also attacked Ms. Haley for her links to Charles Koch, a libertarian-leaning mega-donor who’s pushed for immigration amnesty and making border laws less stringent.
“If she wins, Biden wins,” President Trump said. “And if Biden wins, New Hampshire cannot win.”
On the same note, he added, “If you want a nominee who is endorsed by all the RINOs, globalists, and demented Never Trumpers … and crooked Joe Biden’s biggest donors, then Nikki Haley is your candidate.
“The Democrats are supporting her because she’s easy to beat,” President Trump said. “She’s probably their first choice.”
President Trump sniped at Ms. Haley for relying on support from liberals and moderates in the Republican primary.
