Trump on mocking Haley’s birth name: ‘It’s just something that came’

Former President Trump further mocked Republican primary challenger Nikki Haley's birth name, saying the nickname only “came to her.”

In an interview airing Sunday, Fox News' Bret Beyer asked President Trump why he mocked Haley last week by repeatedly calling her by her birth name “Nimbla” on social media. President Trump has said he has nicknames for many people and suggested it was a useful strategy for him during his campaign.

“I do that with a lot of people like Hutchinson. I mean, for about a year, his turnout was zero, so I called him Ada Hutchinson, not Asa. That felt really good to me. And in her case, it just happened. Her name is a little bit quirky. You know, her name is no matter where she's from,” Trump said. said.

The daughter of Indian immigrants, Haley was born Nimarata Nikki Randhawa in South Carolina. She always goes by her middle name “Nikki”. Last week, Trump called her a “nimbla” multiple times during his attack on her on Truth Social.

“Some people say I'm very good, but, well, I can't say too much. A lot of the people I name like that are Republicans, and we don't talk about it. I don't want to, uh, no, it's just, uh, takeoff. I enjoy it. And sometimes, to tell you the truth, it's a very effective tool,” President Trump said of giving people nicknames. told.

In response to President Trump's latest insult, Haley said the former president uses nicknames because he is “insecure.” He added that Haley “feels threatened” by Haley just days before the Republican primary in New Hampshire. Haley has been rallying support for Trump in New Hampshire in recent weeks.

In an interview with Baier that aired Sunday on Fox News Sunday and Media Buzz, President Trump dismissed Haley's claims that she had threatened him.

“You know, you're saying things like, oh, we're worried about her. I don't care about her at all. I don't think we can win big here. “I think we can. We had a very big win in Iowa,” he said.

Trump has an 11-point lead over Haley in New Hampshire, with an approval rating of about 47%, according to Hill/Decision Desk polling averages. Haley follows with an approval rating of about 36%, followed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis with about 6%.