(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, dismissed Sunday the idea among some Republican voters that former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley might have a smoother path to the White House compared to former President Donald Trump in terms of political baggage.
Haley has consistently argued that she is the right choice for the Republican nomination because, unlike Trump, she lacks baggage. However, countering Haley’s campaign slogan that picking Trump for the Republican nomination would be a choice for “chaos,” Vance remarked, “Nikki does have baggage.”
The idea that Nikki Haley is “more electable” is a mirage, based entirely on the fact that she’s never faced a national smear campaign.
Luckily for Republicans she won’t win the nomination. https://t.co/tKPfalTruT
— J.D. Vance (@JDVance1) January 21, 2024
Vance’s comments were made during a Sunday interview on Fox News Sunday with Shannon Bream. He added, “She has not faced the onslaught of years of media attacks, of super PACs attacks that Donald Trump has faced and the fact Trump is still standing and is still leading against Joe Biden suggests he has real political resilience,” he added.
Currently serving as a campaign surrogate for Trump and potentially a candidate for the Trump 2024 ticket if he secures the nomination, Vance argued that Haley would easily become entangled in ongoing ads and political attacks if she were the nominee.
“I know a lot of people who are choosing Nikki Haley think she is the low-baggage candidate. In reality, she’s the candidate that Democrats haven’t teed off on. But they will tee off on her if she is the nominee.”
Vance continued, “I don’t think she will survive, and I certainly don’t think she would win the presidency through it. That is why we need to elect the guy who showed some resilience. That’s why we need to nominate Donald Trump.”
Later in the show, Vance predicted that Haley would face criticism for proposing to raise the retirement age for Social Security entitlement.
“We have to ask ourselves not what polls would say today, but what do polls say when Democrats run ads saying, ‘Nikki Haley wants to slash social security so that she can send more to foreign countries,’ that is what they’re going to do because that is in fact what Nikki Haley says she wants to do on the campaign trail.”
Nikki Haley just now: “I’ve never said I wanted to raise anybody’s” retirement age for Social Security.
Does she think voters are stupid? Haley has repeatedly committed to raising the retirement age.
ROLL THE TAPE. pic.twitter.com/LLr4rJn000
— DeSantis War Room 🐊 (@DeSantisWarRoom) January 14, 2024
The senator’s remarks come against the backdrop of the Republican primaries, where Trump, Haley, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis are competing for the nomination. Trump consistently leads both Haley and DeSantis in the race, fueling speculation that they may be running for a vice-presidential spot.
Trump comfortably won the Iowa caucuses and maintains a strong lead in the New Hampshire primary, scheduled for Jan. 23.
