Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley on Tuesday suggested that Donald Trump was at risk of developing dementia, stoking the online ire of his MAGA supporters.
Haley, who also previously served as a United Nations ambassador in the Trump administration, remains the only other major candidate besides the former president in the race for the 2024 GOP nomination. She finished third in the Iowa caucuses, second in the New Hampshire primary, and notoriously lost to "none of these candidate options" in the Nevada primary, where Trump was not on the ballot. Polls also currently indicate that Trump is on track to handily win the upcoming primary in Haley's home state of South Carolina.
In a Tuesday speech from Greeneville, South Carolina, Haley announced that she has no intentions of dropping out of the race at present, and will also not do so if she loses by a considerable margin in the state's primary.
"Instead of focusing on how to make America stronger tomorrow, some people want to know if I'm going to cave today," Haley said. "We've all heard the calls for me to drop out. We all know where they're coming from. The political elite, the party bosses, the cheerleaders in the commentator world."
Elsewhere in the speech, Haley also argued that Trump should not be considered for the presidency again, given his advanced age, 77, which increases his likelihood of developing dementia.
"We're talking about the most demanding job in human history. You don't give it to someone who's at risk of dementia," Haley said, also referring to 81-year-old President Joe Biden.
Newsweek reached out to Trump's office for comment via email on Tuesday afternoon. This piece will be updated with any responses received.
In response, several vocal Trump supporters took to social media to attack Haley for her remarks.
"Nikki Haley says Trump is 'at risk of dementia,'" user "johnny maga" wrote on X, the platform previously known as Twitter. "What a POS".
"If Team Trump wanted to, they could start leaking the goods on Nikki to various outlets like they did with DeSantis...they could drop non-stop MOABs, and have her disappear like Carly Fiorina," another user going only by Steven wrote in response to that post. "Not sure why they won't. Hopefully they will though."
"Nikki Haley is at risk of dementia," user "TheGripper" wrote. "All of us are, so what's her point?"
"Nikki Haley is an absolute anti-republican jackass witch who thinks she can win the Republican nominee for president!" another user going only by Katherine wrote. "If you want to talk about dementia this woman has it there is no chance in hell she will be the nominee! Wake up America stop listening to jackasses like Haley."
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Thomas Kika is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in upstate New York. His focus is reporting on crime and national ... Read more
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