Nikki Haley Responds to Civil War Backlash

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley pushed back against criticism after a video of her responding to a question about the Civil War went viral.

During a recent campaign event, Haley, former South Carolina governor and former U.N. ambassador, was asked about the cause of the Civil War but failed to mention slavery in her answer. This not only shocked the voter who asked Haley the question but people on social media, even fellow conservatives.

In response to the backlash Haley received, she told voters in North Conway, New Hampshire, in part: "Of course the Civil War was about slavery. We know that. That's unquestioned, always the case, we know the Civil War was about slavery. But it was also more than that. It was about the freedoms of every individual. It was about the role of government. For 80 years, America had the decision and the moral question of whether slavery was a good thing and whether government—economically, culturally, any other reasons—had a role to play in that."

Newsweek reached out to Haley's campaign via email for comment.

In her initial response at a town hall in Berlin, New Hampshire, on Wednesday, Haley pinned the cause of the Civil War on the government and what freedoms people had.

"I think the cause of the Civil War was basically how government was going to run," she said. "The freedoms and what people could and couldn't do. What do you think the cause of the Civil War was?"

The man who asked the question said he was not the one running for president and wanted to hear her answer.

"I mean, I think it always comes down to the role of government and what the rights of the people are," she replied. "And I will always stand by the fact that I think government was intended to secure the rights and freedoms of the people. It was never meant to be all things to all people. Government doesn't need to tell you how to live your life. They don't need to tell you what you can and can't do. They don't need to be a part of your life. They need to make sure that you have freedom.

"We need to have capitalism. We need to have economic freedom. We need to make sure that we do all things so that individuals have the liberties so that they can have freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to do or be anything they want to be without government getting in the way."

The voter replied: "In the year 2023, it's astonishing to me that you'd answer that question without mentioning the word slavery."

Haley responded: "What do you want me to say about slavery?" and then asked for another question.

The video, which was later shared online, put Haley in the hot seat over her failure to mention slavery in her response.

President Joe Biden, the Democratic incumbent in the 2024 election, shared the video on X, formerly Twitter, and simply wrote: "It was about slavery."

Haley's Republican opponents also took a swipe at her, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' campaign writing on X: "Yikes. Local New Hampshire stations are already covering Nikki Haley's disastrous town hall tonight where she declined to mention 'slavery' when asked 'What was the cause of the Civil War?'"

Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, another GOP candidate, wrote on X: "'What do you want me to say about slavery?' I think she mistook him for a Super PAC donor."