Donald Trump Claims 'Liberals and Marxists' Are Voting for Nikki Haley

Former President Donald Trump has claimed that "liberals and Marxists" are supporting his GOP presidential election rival Nikki Haley.

Trump said during a Wednesday night campaign rally in South Carolina that Haley, the state's former governor, was "pushing Democrats to vote" against him. The former president predicted a "big victory" in South Carolina's upcoming primary, while warning that "liberals and Marxists" were attempting to "meddle" in the contest.

The Context

Trump and Haley, the ex-president's last remaining major GOP presidential nomination challenger, are set to face off in South Carolina on February 24. Trump has repeatedly attempted to paint Haley, whom he appointed as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations during his time in the White House, as a "birdbrain" who is working with Democrats to derail his 2024 campaign.

While it seems unlikely that Haley is the preferred presidential candidate of Marxists, Democrats could potentially support the former governor in South Carolina. The state has an open primary system, with voters having the choice to vote in either the Democratic or Republican primary regardless of their own party affiliation.

What We Know

"We're going to win a gigantic victory...in South Carolina," Trump told his supporters on Wednesday. "I think we're going to have a big victory, it's looking very good, looking very strong. In fact, a lot of people are saying, 'What the hell is she wasting her time for?' And I agree with that."

"Nikki Haley is pushing Democrats to vote," he continued. "So, if you don't want liberals and Marxists to meddle in your primary—which they shouldn't be able to do—then you have to get out and get every patriot you know to vote for our campaign. It's going to be over very quickly, very very quickly."

Trump went on to say that Haley had become "so far left because of her Democrat donors." He said that Haley's presidential bid amounted to "going after the Republican Party" and ruled out the possibility that she would ever be considered as his running mate.

Newsweek reached out for comment to the Haley campaign via email on Wednesday night.

Views

Haley recently went on the offensive against Trump after the ex-president mocked her husband's absence from the campaign trail due to his deployment in Africa as a staff officer with the South Carolina Army National Guard.

"Michael is deployed serving our country, something you know nothing about," Haley wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "Someone who continually disrespects the sacrifices of military families has no business being commander in chief."

The former governor had harsher words for Trump after he suggested on Saturday that he might "encourage" Russia to attack NATO allies who are "delinquent" by not paying their share of funding to the strategic alliance, describing his remarks as "unhinged chaos" during a Fox News interview.

"That only makes Joe Biden sound...sane," said Haley. "When you get Donald Trump making Joe Biden sound sane, it's more of the reason why Donald Trump can't defeat Joe Biden. They're taking everything he's saying and they're gonna use it against him."

What's Next

Trump has defeated Haley in every GOP contest so far and maintains a massive polling advantage over her in primaries yet to take place.

An average of recent polls compiled by RealClearPolitics shows the former president with a lead of 33.5 percent over Haley in her home state. Trump has an even larger advantage in many other states.

Despite the long odds, Haley has vowed to stay in the race even in the increasingly likely event that she loses her home state, insisting during a Fox News interview earlier this month that she did not "have to win" the primary.