MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — Nikki Haley desperately needs a surprise in her home state to remain competitive in the race for the Republican nomination.
The former United Nations ambassador is doing everything he can to close the gap on former President Trump’s overwhelming approval ratings in the country ahead of Saturday’s primary election.
It feels more like a defiant last stand than a candidate getting a real whiff of a comeback. Even her supporters recognize the long odds she faces.
But Haley is at least willing to fight.
She said this in an evening speech in the resort city. “Donald Trump cannot win this election.
Speaking at dusk with a campaign bus in the background, Haley criticized President Trump for recent comments that Russia would “encourage” non-paying NATO members to “do whatever they want.” did.
Haley accused President Trump of colluding with Russian President Vladimir Putin and thereby “siding with a dictator who murders his political opponents.”
Haley also criticized President Trump’s narcissism.
Despite President Trump’s various legal problems, Haley claimed, “He has never talked about the American people…All he does is talk about himself.” .
But Haley’s challenge to get her voice heard above the noise created by President Trump was clear on a literal level.
As she spoke, car horns could be heard from nearby streets as motorists honked their horns in favor of a small group of pro-Trump demonstrators. The pro-Trump crowd included a lookalike of the former president.
Haley’s overall picture is bleak.
Mr. Trump has so far won three electoral districts in Iowa, New Hampshire, and Nevada by large margins. An average of South Carolina polls maintained by The Hill and Decision Desk Headquarters shows Ms. Haley trailing Mr. Trump by more than 30 points.
A loss of this size would be devastating in Haley’s home state, where she was twice elected governor.
President Trump wonders how hard it will be for her to continue if she gets hit hard here. Trump’s aides have emphasized how the race for delegates is tilted in Trump’s favor.
A Tuesday memo from two Trump campaign aides, Chris Lacivita and Susie Wiles, said that even under the “most generous” projections of Haley’s future, the former president would be a Republican by March 19. He predicted he would secure enough delegates to be considered a candidate. .
Twisting knives, two Trump aides predicted that Haley’s campaign would end Saturday in the Palmetto State with her being “rejected by the people who know her best.”
On the stump, Haley is trying to prove that familiarity breeds love, not contempt.
At an afternoon event before upper-class crowds here in Myrtle Beach and in the small city of Georgetown, she cited her economic record as governor and how residents are complaining about the number of outsiders who have moved in. “I hope you don’t blame me,” he added sarcastically. What’s going on during her tenure?
Haley also mentioned two very dark events that occurred in 2015, early in her second term as governor. The shooting at Charleston’s Mother Emanuel Church in which a white racist killed nine black parishioners, and the killing of a 50-year-old black man by police. A man named Walter Scott was shot and killed while fleeing in North Charleston.
Haley said the main reason South Carolina didn’t erupt into riots or civil war in response to these events was because “the tone from the top matters,” another clear judgment against Trump.
The question is whether these attacks will affect the election.
At Georgetown, Haley lamented that the country’s politics was “all chaos, all noise, all exhaustion” and offered herself as an antidote.
She even mocked President Trump for dodging the Vietnam War draft after an audience member appeared to mention “bone spurs.”
“He said he did have bone spurs, which is why he can’t serve,” Haley replied with a laugh. “anything.”
To be sure, there are many Republican voters who identify with Haley’s more tailored message.
“She has the best chance of winning the general election. And, you know, she’s not always saying crazy things like some people are,” said Patrick Thompson, a novelist and former lawyer. spoke to The Hill while waiting for Haley to speak at Georgetown.
Thompson was accompanied by his wife and his wife’s friend Singleton Blaine. Blaine said he already voted for Haley during the early voting period.
“I think she’s a unifier. We desperately need that,” Blaine said.
Another attendee, musician Marshall Chapman, said he was a Democrat but would vote for Haley to stop President Trump, calling him a “lunatic.”
Despite the momentum of this opinion, it seems highly doubtful there will be enough voices in the Palmetto State to derail the Trump train.
Hailey’s events in Georgetown and Myrtle Beach each drew crowds in the 500 range.
On Friday, President Trump will hold a get-out-the-vote rally at Winthrop Coliseum, an arena in Rock Hill, South Carolina.
The venue has a capacity of approximately 6,000 people.
The Memo is a reported column by Niall Stanage.
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