Nikki Haley requests Secret Service protection, says 'we've had multiple issues'

WASHINGTON — Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has requested Secret Service protection after saying she's received increased threats as she competes with former President Donald Trump for the Republican nomination, according to reports.

“We’ve had multiple issues,” Haley told the Wall Street Journal after a campaign event in Alken, South Carolina. “It’s not going to stop me from doing what I need to do.”

Haley has been the victim of two swatting attempts in recent months.

The first occurred on Dec. 30, after an unidentified man called 911 to falsely report he had shot a woman at Haley’s home in South Carolina and threatened to harm himself, Reuters first reported. Emergency responders had arrived at the scene.

Though Haley was not home at the time, her parents were there with a caregiver, Haley said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” The second incident occurred on New Year’s Day,  after someone allegedly called authorities and said Haley shot her daughter and was threatening to harm herself, Reuters first reported.

When asked about heightened security at her events last week, Haley told reporters that “when you do something like this, you get threats. It’s just the reality, and that’s OK.”

“Part of running for public life is that you’re going to deal with the threats that are there. That’s not going to deter me,” Haley said, according to CNN. “Does it mean we have to put a few more bodies around us? Yes, that’s fine.”

As Haley has criss crossed her home state of South Carolina, making speeches in breweries, restaurants and college auditoriums, police presence has been growing steadily. At a recent event in a brewery in Daniel Island in Charleston police dogs could be seen sweeping the stage, restrooms and hallways. The crowds themselves have been peaceful though there usually has been at least one heckler who has to be removed by the police.

The Secret Service typically provides protection to “major presidential and vice presidential candidates as identified as such” by the Secretary of Homeland Security in consultation with an advisory committee, according to its website.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who’s running as an Independent in the 2024 race, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that “I sure hope they care about Nikki Haley’s safety more than mine. I’ve requested three times — still denied. Good luck Nikki!”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nikki Haley requests Secret Service protection after increased threats