Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley is using a feud with biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy to emphasize her foreign policy credentials as she attempts to break away from the second tier of Republicans running for president.
Ramaswamy has drawn the ire of Republicans for arguing the United States should eventually pare back the support it provides to allies such as Israel and Taiwan. But perhaps no candidate has been so combative over his policy platform as Haley, who is running as a traditional defense hawk.
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Ramaswamy has surged in the polls and went into last week’s first presidential debate with a target on his back. But Haley believes she can take advantage of and blunt that momentum by using Ramaswamy as a foil, in particular when it comes to national security matters.
In one of her latest broadsides against Ramaswamy, a first-time politician who has embraced the “America First” agenda of Haley’s onetime boss, former President Donald Trump, she slammed Ramaswamy for his views on Iran.
“@VivekGRamaswamy must have missed that the fanatical terrorist regime in Iran regularly calls for ‘Death to America.’ If he doesn’t see a nuclear Iran as a threat to American security, then he should take his place beside AOC and the Squad and get nowhere near the White House,” Haley posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
Haley was referring to a recent interview Ramaswamy did with Israel Hayom in which he suggested that while he believes in a “strong” Israel, he didn’t support U.S. military intervention in a potential conflict with Iran.
Ramaswamy pushed back against Haley’s comments that he isn’t presidential material, claiming on X that her statements were “another flagrant & dishonest distortion by the neocons.
“Watch the actual video. I explicitly state we *would* fully support Israel, including militarily, but that we should *not* want U.S. men & women dying in a war between Israel and Iran,” he said.
“If Pence, Haley, Christie, & Rove feel differently, they should have the spine to say how many Americans they’d be prepared to see die in that conflict,” he added, referring to his other GOP rivals.
This war of words between Haley and Ramaswamy intensified in the run-up to the first Republican National Committee debate in Milwaukee and hasn’t let up since.
Two days before the Aug. 23 debate, Haley lambasted Ramaswamy for suggesting he wouldn’t continue financial aid to Israel after a $38 billion package expires in 2028. “Vivek Ramaswamy is completely wrong to call for ending America’s special bond with Israel,” Haley said in a statement. “Support for Israel is both the morally right and strategically smart thing to do. Both countries are stronger and safer because of our iron-clad friendship. As president, I will never abandon Israel.”
Then came a breakout moment during the debate when she used Ramaswamy’s desire to cede Ukrainian territory to Russia to cast herself as tough on Vladimir Putin. “This guy is a murderer, and you are choosing a murderer,” Haley said about Ramaswamy’s stance, in which he would push for Russia to sever ties with China in exchange for the land. “Under your watch, you will make America less safe. You have no foreign policy experience, and it shows.”
Haley has surged since that performance, according to Trump pollster Tony Fabrizio, who released a memo noting that Haley was tied with Ramaswamy and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) for second place in New Hampshire, home to the first primary of the GOP nominating calendar.
A DeSantis-aligned poll from Public Opinion Strategies also showed Haley’s support increase from 3% to 11% in Iowa, the first caucus state, after the debate.
Ramaswamy has responded to the onslaught of attacks, from Haley and other 2024 rivals, by launching a campaign website on Monday to clarify where he stands on the issues.
He notably references Haley’s comments. “WRONG. Keep lying, Namrata Randhawa,” the campaign posted while simultaneously misspelling Haley’s first name, Nimarata, and referencing her maiden name, Randhawa. “The desperation is showing. By the end of Vivek’s first term, the U.S.-Israel relationship will be deeper and stronger than ever because it won’t be a client relationship, it will be a true friendship.”
The next day, Haley struck back. “Ramaswamy’s attacks & desperate attempts at damage control don’t change how he treats our friend Israel & how his dangerous policies make America less safe,” Haley posted. “Israel faces genocidal threats from Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, & Syria. Our next president must understand that. Vivek said we should abandon Israel after 2028. Those are HIS words.”
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With Haley and Ramaswamy going back and forth over Iran, it appears inevitable that foreign policy will be a topic brought up during the Sept. 27 GOP debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.
Ramaswamy currently leads Haley 7.3% to 4.9% in a RealClearPolitics polling average, but both candidates have a lot of ground to make up to compete with Trump, who continues to command the primary field, with DeSantis in a distant second place.
