Haley in new ad says Trump will raise taxes, allow Russia ‘victory’

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley has released a new ad accusing former President Trump of wanting to raise taxes and allow Russia “victory” that will lead to more war. 

Haley, a former United Nations ambassador, also stepped up her ad buy in South Carolina, the next state to hold its primary on Feb. 24 and her home state, from $4 million to $6 million. 

The campaign said in a release on Tuesday that Trump’s “unhinged comments inform his dangerous policies,” pointing to remarks Trump made Saturday that he would encourage Russia to do “whatever the hell they want” to NATO countries that do not meet the alliance’s defense spending guidelines. 

“With a world on fire and a crisis at home, America can’t afford Donald Trump’s chaos and unhinged policies,” campaign spokesperson Olivia Perez-Cubas said in the release. “With Trump’s temper tantrums and backward policies, there is only one warmonger in this race, and his name is Donald J. Trump. Nikki Haley offers a better way and a better America.” 

A narrator in the ad, which was first shared with NBC News, states the “chaos” surrounding the former president is “bad enough” but Trump supports an “across-the-board” 10-percent tax increase and more “record-breaking debt.” 

Trump has previously called for a universal 10 percent tariff on imports to pay off debt. Critics have argued raising tariffs would likely increase costs for Americans, increasing expenses for both businesses and consumers. 

The ad also shows Trump meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin while the narrator says Trump would support a Russian victory. 

“With a world on fire and a crisis at home, with Trump, it’s just more chaos,” the narrator states, saying that Haley is a better choice. 

Haley has consistently argued that chaos follows Trump and the country needs to move on with a candidate with less baggage.

The Hill has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.

The ad’s release comes less than two weeks before the critical South Carolina primary, the first in the South, in which Haley will try to gain additional momentum as she trails Trump in the polls by a large margin. 

Trump leads Haley in the polling average of South Carolina from The Hill/Decision Desk HQ by more than 30 points.