LOS ANGELES.–Heading into the Jan. 23 New Hampshire Primary, former U.N. Amb. Nikki Haley, 51, hoped to be picking up ground on 77-year-old former President Donald Trump, largely because she has the endorsement of Gov. Chris Sununu. But polls show that whatever gap Haley closed with Trump, it’s widening because of recent gaffes on the campaign trial, showing Haley has much to learn to control her mouth in press interviews or at town hall meetings. Recently saying that “65 is way too young for retirement,” hurt Haley with upcoming retirees. But failing to say that slavery was the major cause of the Civil War shows Haley is not ready for primetime. Voters forgive minor blunders but not major gaffes showing a lack of preparation or discipline on the campaign trail. Haley presents herself in an authoritative way, making any gaffe more politically damaging.
Trump faces little competition because his positions closely parallel Haley’s closes rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, whose campaign has fallen from great expectations to a new reality check that he’s got a lot of work to do. Unlike Trump, DeSantis is not a polished public speaker, someone who thrives of crowds. Since losing the presidency to Biden in 2020, Trump never left the speaking circuit, continuing to press his message to large crowds. DeSantis, whether speaking to crowds, at debates or press interviews, looks awkward, at least compared to Trump. No question that Trump is the master communicator to his audiences, reminiscent of President Ronald Reagan. Unlike Reagan, Trump presents himself in a more down-to-earth, pedestrian manner. So, when comparing Haley and DeSantis to Trump, they both look like amateurs against a seasoned professional.
New Hampshire voters tend to embrace their maverick ways by bucking popular trends, in this case giving Haley a shot against Trump. But when you digest recent polls, they all show Trump pulling off a sizable victory, regardless of Sununu’s endorsement. Trump’s following relates to the fact that New England states, with the exception of Rhode Island, Vermont and Massachusetts, tend to have independent streaks or lean more to the center. But others like New Hampshire and Maine, have a deep distrust of government, value the second amendment and tend to have less Evangelical voters. Haley doesn’t need a strong showing with Black voters in New Hampshire because they’re less represented in the polls. When it comes to South Carolina, her Civil War remarks will come back to bite her, despite most Black’s are Democrats and don’t vote in the GOP primary.
Haley’s biggest problem, whether admitted to or not, is that she closely mimics President Joe Biden’s foreign policy, backing the Ukraine War and tough talk on China. Trump offers hope that the U.S. can get back to normal diplomacy with both countries, after Biden violated the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, saying he would commit U.S. troops to defend Taiwan. Biden has refused to commit U.S. troops to Ukraine, saying it would start WW III. Haley talks about continuing the Ukraine War and provoking Communist China. New Hampshire GOP voters know that voting for Haley continues Biden’s belligerent foreign policy. Trump has promised to end the Ukraine War and reset relations with Russia and Communist China. Voters seem focused on media issues related to the end of Row v. Wade and Trump’s attempts at destroying U.S. democracy.
Anti-Trump Republicans looking for an option to Trump found Haley more appealing than DeSantis, even though his domestic and foreign policy views more resemble Trump’s. Haley’s views parallel those of Biden, especially on foreign policy related to Russia, China and the Middle East. Haley can’t possibly think that echoing Biden’s views wins her more GOP votes or pulls voters away from Trump. Haley’s only argument against Trump is that he’s too old to start a new term at age 78. When it comes to Biden, there are just too many similiarities with Haley to make New Hampshire GOP voters vote for her on Election Day. GOP voters want to restore the peace and prosperity once realized under Trump’s four years, when the country wasn’t at war with Russia or pushing for war with China. New Hampshire voters see no option with Haley.
` Haley won’t pull any upset with Trump in New Hampshire because of her recent gaffes on the campaign trail. Nikki demonstrated while she did a good job against DeSantis and other GOP candidates, she doesn’t compare well to Trump. Nikki’s foreign policy views on Russia and China too closely parallel Biden, promising to continue battling the Kremlin and Beijing into the indefinite future. While Biden and Democrats say the abortion is on the ballot, Trump makes the point that war-and-peace are on the ballot, with Biden promising to drag the U.S. into WW III and possibly nuclear war. Biden has done so much damage to U.S. foreign policy and national security it will take someone like Trump to get things back on track. Haley showed with recent gaffes that she’s still an amateur at running for president, not ready to lead the country in a time of economic and national security threats.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
