Nikki Haley mocks Donald Trump as 'unhinged' at South Carolina rally

Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA TODAY
·2 min read
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Nikki Haley, the only Republican primary challenger standing against former President Donald Trump, was savoring the moment.

At a rally in Mauldin, South Carolina, Saturday, Haley, who served as U.S. ambassador to the U.N. under Trump, recounted her former boss’s reaction as she moved up in the polls in the weeks leading up to the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday.

“What happened after that was a sight to see because on election night we were super excited,” she told the audience as supporters holding “Women for Nikki” stood behind her on the stage. “Donald Trump was totally unhinged. Unhinged. He was a bit sensitive, and I think his feelings were hurt, but he threw a temper tantrum out on stage … and was talking about revenge.”

Nikki Haley, GOP presidential candidate, campaigns at Mauldin High School in Mauldin, S.C., on Jan. 27, 2024. Stephania Priester of Taylors, left, takes a moment to talk to Nikki Haley about current issues.
Nikki Haley, GOP presidential candidate, campaigns at Mauldin High School in Mauldin, S.C., on Jan. 27, 2024. Stephania Priester of Taylors, left, takes a moment to talk to Nikki Haley about current issues.

Haley says she raised a million dollars online after what she called his "temper tantrum."

Election2024: Nikki Haley, a 'proud daughter of Indian immigrants' makes history. Again.

Trump has warned Haley's donors that if they made any future “contributions” they would be “permanently barred” from the Make America Great Again camp.

“Anybody that makes a “Contribution” to Birdbrain, from this moment forth, will be permanently barred from the MAGA camp,” he wrote on Truth Social.”We don’t want them, and will not accept them, because we Put America First, and ALWAYS WILL!”

Recounting Trump’s comments and referring to Trump as “unhinged” again, Haley went on to boast that this had helped her even more as she campaigns in the Feb. 24 South Carolina primary.

“So we had a little fun with that,” she said, with a broad smile on her face. “We started selling T-shirts that said, “Barred Permanently” and sold 10,000 T-shirts. We raised another $1.6 million.”

On Friday, Haley slammed Trump after a jury ordered him to pay $83.3 million to writer E. Jean Carroll in the defamation case against him.

"Donald Trump wants to be the presumptive Republican nominee and we’re talking about $83 million in damages," Haley wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter, shortly after the verdict was announced.

"America can do better than Donald Trump and Joe Biden," she said.

Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy is a White House Correspondent focusing on the economy for USA TODAY. You can follow her on X @SwapnaVenugopal

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Haley mocks trump as 'unhinged' at campaign rally in South Carolina