Will Nikki Haley’s missteps lead to a Trump win in 2024? 

Oh, how the political winds change.

One week, Nikki Haley was riding high with support from New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu and rising poll numbers. The next week she choked with questions about the civil warBy suggesting that, he will lose support from the anti-Trump side. She will pardon the former president, and, Both opponents attack her with no chance.

Let's start with Haley's gaffe. When a voter asked the former South Caolina governor about the causes of the civil war, she replied: “The cause of the Civil War was basically how the government administered freedom and what people could and could not do.” The word “slavery” was conspicuously absent. gave anti-Haley forces an opportunity to attack.

however, Matthew Hennessy points out in the Wall Street Journal, there is a “long and short answer” to this question. Haley gave a short answer without mentioning slavery, but her answer wasn't wrong. The Civil War was about state vs. federal power through representation in the House and Senate, and, as Haley says, “how the government administers freedom, and what people can and cannot do. ” was about.

13^th The Amendment freed slaves; the 14th Amendment freed slaves; Written by John Binghamgranted them citizenship, extended all the freedoms and immunities of the Constitution and Bill of Rights, and gave them the right to vote and represent themselves.

The next day, Haley made matters worse by: Blaming her gaffe on Democratic plants. But she also explained why she answered the way she did. “What I wanted to say is, what does this day mean to us?”

For us today, the Civil War means that no one in this country will be subjected to slavery. Achieving this required the expansion of federal powers and the use of force. While the end of slavery was a good thing, the expansion of federal powers had side effects that affected all Americans. Haley is right to focus on that, but she could have explained herself better.

Haley then commented that she would pardon Donald Trump if he is convicted because it is “in the national interest.” This has exposed Haley to attacks accusing her of bowing to 2024 Republican front-runners, including her common opponent, Chris Christie.

Christie called her stance “offensive” and said: “I believe in two systems of justice: one for all of us and one for the most powerful.”

Haley is running for president of the United States, not among anti-Trump voters. In many ways, the MAGA movement is built on suspicions that it is being unfairly coerced against federal powers perceived as political opponents. Detaining Trump would lend credibility to that argument, and since Trump is a manipulator of power, he would use that to his advantage. However, pardoning President Trump would revoke that authority.

recently New Hampshire poll by Five ThirtyEight, Ms. Haley trails Ms. Trump by a margin of 44.1% to 25.7%, with Ms. Christie in third place with 11.1%.Christie is openly anti-Trump And he joined the campaign to prevent the former president from reaching a second term. But he's attacking the person best positioned to defeat Trump.

It's hard to tell if Christie is truly anti-Trump or just pro-Christie. If he chooses lane, he is ready to form a coalition with Ms. Haley, rally 11 percent behind her, consolidate power from Mr. Trump, and provide leadership, if not perfect. He will realize that concentrating power in the hands of the candidates is the best way to go. You can defeat the former president.

Haley made some mistakes, but once again demonstrated a complex understanding of power. She should take the time to explain the civil war issue better. She also takes a page from President Trump's playbook and should not back down. As it turns out, she wasn't wrong. She also needs to hit back at Christy and see where his loyalties really lie. Does he want to stop Trump or is he just paying lip service to increase his own attention and power?

If Christie wants to stop Trump, she should stop attacking Haley, recognize and highlight her leadership abilities, and help her win.

Jeff Mayhugh (@jmayhugh28) is a co-founder of the Madison Republican Party, a former candidate for Congress, and a political consultant for John Beatty's 2024 campaign in Virginia's 10th Congressional District.