Ankeny, Iowa – Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley said she spoke with former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Thursday morning but did not seek his support after withdrawing from the race for the Republican nomination.
And Haley, in an interview with Fox News after a campaign event in the Des Moines, Iowa, suburb, said that when she wished Haley well on Wednesday, after her campaign was suspended, Haley, who had been arrested, expressed contempt for her. He said he was unaware of the statement. In a viral hot mic moment.
Christie, who was running for the White House for the second time, withdrew from the race at a town hall event in Windham, New Hampshire, saying, “It's clear tonight that I have no path to the nomination.” Stated. ”
Christie, who is considered the favorite to win a race dominated by former President Donald Trump, has in recent weeks sought support from Republicans and some voters as she seeks to close the gap with Trump. There were growing calls for his activities to be halted. .
Christie claims Haley will be 'smoked' in hot mic moment if she drops out of 2024 race
Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie announced he is withdrawing from the race during a town hall campaign event in Windham, New Hampshire on January 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bucati)
Haley, a former two-term South Carolina governor who later served as U.N. ambassador in the Trump administration, has skyrocketed in recent months to become the former president's chief rival as he runs for a third straight term in the White House.
Ahead of Wednesday's announcement, Christie apparently unwittingly overheard Haley say on a microphone that Trump, the front-runner for the nomination, was “going to smoke.” Ta.
“She doesn't mean that,” he added.
Christie criticized Haley twice during her speech.
New poll shows Haleys in second place in final day before Iowa caucuses
After Christie suspended her campaign, Haley posted on social media: “Christie is a longtime friend and I commend him for his hard campaign. Voters have a clear choice in this election. Or the turmoil and drama of the past?” he posted. “A new generation of conservative leadership. I will fight for every vote and together we can build a strong and proud America.”
2024 Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, former ambassador to the United Nations and former South Carolina governor, is pictured with supporters and other Iowa voters at a campaign event in Ankeny, Iowa, on January 11, 2024. I'm taking pictures. (FOX News/Paul Steinhauser)
Asked by Fox News on Thursday whether she was aware of Christie's harsh remarks during the hot mic moment, Haley said, “I was not aware of the open mic comments.”
“But I wish Chris all the best. It's personal to be in a race, it's personal to be out of a race, so I know how difficult it is. But At the same time, I'm different from them. Politics is not personal for me,” she added.
Was the candidate absent from this week's Iowa debate the winner of the intense showdown?
And Haley told Fox News: “I just spoke to him this morning and told him I appreciate his…dedication to this race. But no, we didn't ask him for an endorsement. No,” he said.
Haley was interviewed a day after she faced off against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in a heated prime-time debate at the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 15, the final stretch before the Republican presidential nominating calendar begins.
Former United Nations Ambassador and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis participate in the Republican presidential nomination debate at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, on January 10, 2024. . (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
The verbal fireworks ignited a debate moment, with DeSantis saying Haley was “a foul-mouthed politician who just says what you want to hear just to get votes.” denounced.
Haley quickly fired back, labeling DeSantis a liar.
“What we're going to do is instead of having him go and tell all the lies, we're going to go to DeSantislies.com and see all the lies,” Haley said in a statement on the new campaign website. mentioned in the first part of the mention. .
Mr. Haley disagreed when asked whether the website's promotion has gone too far.
“I didn't say it to be repetitive, but I said it because every time he lied, I had to include it. Look, we have a country to save. People. They want real facts. They want real solutions. And this is it. “That's the part of politics that I don't like, and Americans don't like either. I don't like the fact that people throw stories around to see if they can make one stick,” Haley said.
And she explained: “We just put up a website there, and if you go to the website, you can see everything he says, see what the fact checkers are saying, prove it false. “You can. And I think that's true.” is an easier way to deal with it. ”
Several times during the debate, Mr. DeSantis touted his campaign website, which is full of his opponent's research footage about Ms. Haley.
On Thursday, DeSantis said during a campaign stop that Haley botched her reference to the website.
“I think she really stepped up to the plate by repeating that ridiculous website, and the audience was moaning and wondering if she was doing it 10 or 12 times,” DeSantis said at Iowa State. Told.
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Haley gained momentum last fall after receiving high praise for her performance in debates. And in recent weeks, she has edged DeSantis into second place in Iowa polls and national polls. A new poll released Thursday by Suffolk University puts Ms. Haley ahead of Ms. DeSantis by 7 points and in second place behind Mr. Trump.
In New Hampshire, where the first primary will be held just eight days after the Iowa caucuses, Ms. Haley surpassed Ms. DeSantis and moved into second place, closing the gap with Mr. Trump.
Following New Hampshire, attention for the Republican nomination will turn to her home state, which will hold its first southern election on February 24th.
South Carolina's incoming senator, Sen. Tim Scott, ended his bid for the White House in November. (FOX News/Paul Steinhauser)
South Carolina's incoming senator, Sen. Tim Scott, ended his bid for the White House in November.
Asked if she was actively seeking Scott's support, Haley said, “We've had a lot of conversations and right now we're focused on Iowa. Then we'll focus on New Hampshire, then we'll focus on South Carolina. .We accept that.'' He is in one state at a time. ”
FOX News' James Levinson contributed reporting.
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