As the field of GOP candidates running to be the alternative to Donald Trump narrows, we’re beginning to see the candidates take each other on. On Wednesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) went after former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley on WYRD in Greenville, S.C. That’s right — he called her out in her home state.
DeSantis, in a long interview with Tara Servatius and a host of other topics, criticized Haley for her positions on several issues following the $10 million buy she made to promote the governor. He started by saying that Haley hasn’t done nearly enough to support conservatives at the national level.
“She has never fought any big fight on our behalf as conservatives and won any big fight,” he said. “Anytime that guns come out, anytime the left does, she cuts and runs.”
Haley’s acceptance of the leftist narrative surrounding the death three years ago of George Floyd was another problem. Haley, as South Carolina’s governor, handled race-related issues with ease. She even dealt well with the controversy surrounding the Confederate banner. But when it came to riots following Floyd’s death she sounded leftist. DeSantis took up that issue.
“I remember the George Floyd Riots,” I called the National Guard. He recalled that he had said, “I’m standing by the police.” She tweeted that it had to be painful and personal for everyone. “Why should it be painful and personal for me or you, when we didn’t have anything to do with that?” I asked myself.
We spent the last couple of days celebrating our son’s graduation. Tonight I turned on the news and am heartbroken. It’s important to understand that the death of George Floyd was personal and painful for many. In order to heal, it needs to be personal and painful for everyone.
— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) May 30, 2020
He added, “It shows that she has adopted this left-wing mentality and accepted the narrative.” “We need leaders that will fight against the narrative. We need leaders that will fight back and defeat the left. “I’m the only candidate who has a track record of beating the Democrats and the left in all these areas.”
DeSantis said that Haley was too reliant on big corporations. He used her response to his battle with Disney as an illustration.
He told Servatius, “She criticized me because I stood up for the kids and their innocence in their curriculum when Disney wanted to sexualize the curriculum for elementary schools.” “I stood up for the parents, I stood for the kids. She sided with a woke corporation.” “I think that’s what you’re seeing in that regard, it is par for the course.”
He continued, “She will bow to the opinions of elites, the media, and large corporations. This is how she goes down. “You can set your clock pretty much to it.”
DeSantis also criticized Haley for her attitude towards China. Haley permitted the state of South Carolina land deals with Chinese firms. DeSantis brought up this issue in his interview and contrasted that with his approach toward China.
He said, “You know, she brought in CCP dollars, Chinese Communist Party Dollars, into South Carolina when she was Governor.” “She was ranked number one for bringing China to their state,” he said. I prohibited China from purchasing land in Florida. “I kicked them out from the universities and these Confucius Institutes. It’s a big contrast.”
DeSantis also criticized Haley for failing to take measures to protect girls and women from predators who prey on them in the bathroom using transgender madness.
In Florida, we said that girls and women must be protected in restrooms and locker rooms. It’s not acceptable to have men or boys enter the locker room. “It’s not right,” he replied. “So we did it without question. We’ll do it, of course. She killed the legislation that was supposed to protect girls from being harassed in bathrooms and locker rooms. She bragged about her actions. She said later, “Oh, I stopped it in South Carolina.”
DeSantis’ response to Haley’s latest controversy, in which she suggested that social media users be verified, and not anonymous, was made after the interview.
Under Nikki Haley’s crazy, draconian plan of using govt to force people on social media to be “verified” and not anonymous, Benjamin Franklin would have been legally prohibited from publishing his Silence Dogood letters.
— Liz Wheeler (@Liz_Wheeler) November 15, 2023
Haley said “I want names” and Team Haley says in its Twitter/X bio that they are “taking names.” How literally should we take this sentiment?
DeSantis tweeted this on X:
You know who were anonymous writers back in the day? Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison when they wrote the Federalist Papers.
They were not “national security threats,” nor are the many conservative Americans across the country who exercise their Constitutional… https://t.co/YkAGMhUVCX
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) November 15, 2023
DeSantis has taken a bold step in pursuing Haley. He sees her as a major competitor in the primary elections. It will be interesting to see if this strategy pays off.
