Former President Trump went after Nikki Haley after she lost the Nevada primary to “none of these candidates” Tuesday, making fun of the poor performance in a state where Haley did not campaign.
Haley faced no opposition in the primary, sharing the ballot only with “none of these candidates” and a number of candidates who had already dropped out.
Trump will participate in the state’s caucuses Thursday. The two primary contests are split due to a conflict between the state government and the Nevada GOP.
Haley, who served as U.N. ambassador under the Trump administration, received just under a third of the votes in the primary, with about 63 percent of Silver State voters siding with “none of these candidates” — a symbolic blow to her campaign. No delegates were awarded for the primary.
“A bad night for Nikki Haley,” Trump said in a Truth Social post early Wednesday morning. “Losing by almost 30 points in Nevada to ‘None of These Candidates.’”
“Watch, she’ll soon claim Victory!” he added, a dig at Haley’s New Hampshire primary concession speech last month when she claimed a minor win in overperforming expectations despite an 11-point loss.
Haley didn’t acknowledge her Nevada defeat on Tuesday, instead making vague posts on social media.
“Even on our worst days, we are blessed to live in America,” she wrote, adding an American flag and a heart.
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Haley’s campaign has focused efforts on the South Carolina primary, the next on the calendar on Feb. 24. She is relying on a victory in her home state later this month to prove she can challenge Trump for the GOP nomination.
Despite calls for her to suspend her campaign and back the former president, Haley has not shown signs of wanting to drop out of the race — even as a general election rematch between Trump and President Biden becomes more likely.
The former ambassador, who also previously served as the Palmetto State governor, trails Trump in the state by about 30 points, according to The Hill/Decision Desk HQ average of polls. Nationally, she trails by a massive 57 percentage points.