Nikki Haley launched her strongest criticism of former President Donald Trump on Saturday, telling an influential group of Jewish Republicans his style of “chaos, vendettas and drama” are dangerous.
“Eight years ago, it was good to have a leader who broke things,” Haley told the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada. “But right now, we need to have a leader who also knows how to put things back together.”
Haley, the former governor of South Carolina and United Nations ambassador in the Trump administration, is polling at 8.3 per cent in the RealClearPolitics average of national polls in the 2024 Republican presidential race, good enough for third. Trump is well ahead at 59.1 per cent, while Florida governor Ron DeSantis is a distant second at 12.6 per cent.
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This year’s Jewish conference comes as Israel is reeling from a terrorist attack from Hamas militants on Oct. 7.
Haley acknowledged that Trump was a “pro-Israel president,” but asked, “The question is, what will he do in the future?”
She criticized Trump for his comments in the days after the Hamas attack, when he criticized Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and called Hezbollah, another anti-Israel militant group, “very smart.”
“These are not good or smart people,” Haley said.
During his own speech, Trump denounced Hamas and said once back in the White House he would adopt a stronger policy when combating terrorists
“When I am back in the White House, our enemies will once again realize that ‘if you spill a drop of American blood, we will spill a gallon of yours,'” he said.
At the same event, Trump’s former vice president Mike Pence announced he was suspending his 2024 campaign.
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“We always knew this would be an uphill battle, but I have no regrets,” Pence said. “To the American people, I say: This is not my time, but it is still your time. I urge you to hold fast to what matters most; faith, family, and the Constitution.”
