Nikki Haley can beat Biden in the general election. But can she beat Trump now? | Opinion

Joe Biden is doing such a poor job as president, pretty much anybody could beat him in a general election. Due to many of his own bad decisions and the fact that he’s commander in chief during what is now a precarious time in the world, his job approval rating is at an all-time low of 37%.

Biden isn’t really the challenge for the Republican presidential contenders. Donald Trump is.

Even after dozens of indictments and insane social media posts and outbursts, Trump is still the biggest impediment to any of the GOP candidates. Despite his obvious flaws and failure to acknowledge the results of the 2020 election, Trump is soundly beating Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. Those two, plus tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, will be at the third Republican debate Wednesday.

No one should count Haley out. Several GOP primary candidates have flopped or look weak, but Haley continues to improve both in debates and in polls. As recognition of her has gone national, Haley pummels Biden among likely voters in states like Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. Impressive.

Haley’s an interesting candidate, too: She’s got a touch of Sarah Palin’s, sass and grit, sans the crazy parts, and a streak of Margaret Thatcher, showing resolve, intellect and wit.

There’s a fine line in politics (especially debates) between showing strength and sounding too reactive. Haley walks it expertly. “Honestly every time I hear you, I feel a little bit dumber for what you say,” she spewed at Vivek Ramaswamy in the last debate.

The zinger was part comedic relief and part-revelation: Finally, somebody who says it like it is without sugar coating it and checking with 12 political consultants first. Haley’s comment was refreshing and showed that she isn’t afraid to speak her mind, but doesn’t go nuts, either — which, let’s admit it, plenty of voters are afraid a woman would do running the country.

If a man had said that, people might have chuckled for a while. When Haley said it, it was immediately made into a meme. And a good one. She’s made some progress in terms of national perception of a Republican woman running for president.

Sexism has come into play in the last two debates, and she’s turned it to her advantage which is exactly the right move. Why should her femininity or sex be viewed as a disadvantage? If hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, imagine what a woman with the chutzpah to lead this country could convey to our enemies: Not craziness but resolve. Again, think Thatcher, not Colorado’s now-infamous Rep. Lauren Boebert.

There’s more to Haley than witty one-liners, too. A lot more. Haley boasts more governing experience than anyone else on the stage, including the front runner, DeSantis. She was governor of South Carolina for two terms and then ambassador to the United Nations under Trump. She was a strong advocate for Israel, something that will undoubtedly come into play as the Hamas-Israel conflict remains center stage. No one else but Trump has demonstrated that kind of resume.

Following her ambassadorship, Haley struggled to convey respect for Trump and dislike of his increasingly childish antics. She’ll need to make a decision on where she falls and convey that openly and repeatedly soon, or she risks looking like she’s vying for a Cabinet position alongside him, rather than for the Oval Office itself. Voters can sense when politicians aren’t all in to be leaders but are content to be nepotists and grifters.

This is primarily because Trump is still the person she’s got to beat: MAGA fans are hopelessly devoted and relentlessly vouching for him. She’ll need a segment of those to beat Biden and it’s not clear if she could woo enough voters, if any, away from Trump if Trump’s still an option. All this still raises a significant: Is America ready for a female Republican president? It’s hard to see the kind of MAGA voters who adore Trump pivoting to Haley.

This isn’t all up to her though: Trump’s not doing himself any favors, and there’s a trial in Colorado going on right now to determine if Trump can even be a viable candidate, given the 14th amendment. This is probably the best outcome for Haley — if Trump were to be removed as an option, the choice would be between her and DeSantis. DeSantis might be more able to draw more MAGA voters, but perhaps be less likely to beat Biden.

If MAGA voters really cared about America more than Trump, they’d back the best candidate to beat Biden, and right now, that just might be a Republican woman.

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