President Trump asked where Nikki Haley’s husband is during a large rally in Conway, South Carolina, on Saturday, sparking a hornet’s nest of media controversy and sharp responses from Haley and her husband.
Trump was talking about how his only remaining rival for the Republican presidential nomination, former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley – who had been Trump’s first ambassador to the United Nations – had arrived at his home in Palm Beach, Florida , Mar-a-Lago, with her husband and wife. she said she would never fight him. Trump then asked several times where Haley’s husband intended to end with “he knew, he knew,” a likely reference to affidavits that Haley had had affairs years ago, recently reported by the Daily Mail.
Haley’s husband, Maj. Michael Haley, has been deployed with the South Carolina Army National Guard in the Horn of Africa for a year, starting last June.
Trump said: “…I will never run against him. Then he comes to visit me at Mar-a-Lago. “Lord, I will never run against you.” She brought her husband. Where’s your husband? Oh, he’s away. He’s far away. What happened to your husband? What happened to your husband? Where is he? He’s gone! He knew. He knew.”
Trump attacks Nikki Haley’s husband: “Where is your husband? What happened to your husband? Where is he? He’s gone.” pic.twitter.com/tRslkYmZQk
—Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 10, 2024
The response of much of the media was to attack Trump, falsely accusing him of mocking Michael Haley’s reporting, but the New York Times surprisingly ran the accurate headline, “Trump insinuates that Haley’s husband was sent to Africa to escape her”
Trump insinuates that Haley’s husband was sent to Africa to escape her
through @migold AND @jazmineulloa https://t.co/TXdn9CCsTc— Shane Goldmacher (@ShaneGoldmacher) February 11, 2024
Haley and her husband responded separately on X Twitter to Trump. Haley also responded in comments during a campaign stop in South Carolina.
Michael Haley posted on his Twitter account X, presumably from a military base in Africa, a graphic with the words: “The difference between humans and animals? Animals would never allow the stupidest to lead the pack,” above a photo of a wolf. The post was aimed at Trump and several media outlets and has over 1 million views.
@realDonaldTrump @GOP @CNN @Fox News @wsjournal @USATODAY @New York Times @AP pic.twitter.com/BS6uODv6kr
— Michael Haley (@WMichaelHaley) February 10, 2024
Nikki Haley posted: “Michael is deployed to serve our country, something you know nothing about. Someone who continually disrespects the sacrifices of military families has no right to be commander in chief.”
Michael serves our country, which you know nothing about. Someone who continually disrespects the sacrifices of military families has no right to be commander in chief. https://t.co/AfN3u4AsJc
— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) February 10, 2024
Haley also responded to a small rally in Gilbert, South Carolina:
“Donald Trump held a rally today. And at that demonstration he mocked my husband’s military service. And I will say this: Donald, if you have something to say, don’t say it behind my back, get on a debate stage and say it to my face… If you make fun of a combat veteran’s service, you don’t. I wouldn’t deserve a driver’s license. , let alone being President of the United States.
Haley: He mocked my husband’s military service. If you have something to say, don’t say it behind my back. Get on a debate stage and say it to my face. If you mock a veteran’s service, you don’t deserve a driver’s license, much less be President of the United States. pic.twitter.com/BVwPIAtZ72
— Acino (@Acino) February 11, 2024
At Trump’s South Carolina rally last Saturday, decorated combat veteran Rep. Michael Waltz (R-FL) told the crowd how President Trump met and stayed for hours with the Gold Star families of the bombing airport in Afghanistan in 2021 after Joe Biden had not met them:
Congressman Mike Waltz tells the story of President Trump meeting with the Gold Star families of Afghanistan: “None of them got to meet Joe Biden… So you know what we did? We called President Trump… He was supposed to spend an hour… spend FIVE hours with them…” pic.twitter.com/YRsSUgGvCA
— MAGA War Room (@MAGAIncWarRoom) February 10, 2024
Waltz posted a photo in August 2023 when the meeting took place:
THANK YOU President Trump for spending FOUR hours at a roundtable and dinner with the Gold Star families who bombed Kabul.
He listened to their stories and frustrations with the lack of transparency and pledged to release everything about the attack.🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/K2hp31coEj
— Representative Mike Waltz (@michaelgwaltz) August 31, 2023