GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley blasted former President Trump’s New Hampshire victory speech, calling it “a temper tantrum.”
Haley appeared confident at a campaign event in North Charleston, S.C., Wednesday night, after losing to the former president in the first-in-the-nation primary on Tuesday by about 11 percentage points, according to Decision Desk HQ. The former South Carolina governor criticized Trump’s rhetoric when he tore into Haley after she spoke to her supporters
“We were very excited last night because we saw that we had gone up 25 points in a month. And we were thrilled,” Haley said, speaking of the Granite State primary. “So we got out there and we did our thing and we said what we had to say. And then Donald Trump got out there and just threw a temper tantrum.”
“He pitched a fit, he was — he was insulting, he was doing what he does, but I know that’s what he does when he’s insecure,” she continued. “I know that’s what he does when he is threatened. And he should feel threatened without a doubt.”
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She also challenged Trump to debate her as she is his only major remaining challenger in the GOP primary race. The former president, who claimed he would beat Haley in a cognitive test, has declined to debate any of his primary rivals, arguing that he does not need to debate due to his strong lead in national polls.
“Bring it Donald, show me what you got,” said Haley, who served under the Trump administration as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
Despite her losses in New Hampshire and the Iowa caucuses, Haley has maintained the race is not over yet, and she hopes to make a strong showing in her home state of South Carolina next month.
She said toward the end of the event in the Palmetto State that her campaign has raised more than $1 million since she gave her post-primary speech in New Hampshire.
According to polling averages from The Hill/Decision Desk HQ, Haley is trailing Trump in South Carolina by about 34 percentage points. The former president shows about 61 percent of support while Haley has about 27 percent.