Nikki Haley squanders her big moment at latest Republican debate | Opinion
Nikki Haley’s presidential campaign has gained some momentum over the past couple of weeks. She’s picked up support from major donors and made it to double digits in the polls. Haley’s rise follows a series of debates in which she successfully juxtaposed herself with the likes of culture warrior Ron DeSantis and blowhard Vivek Ramaswamy. But she has yet to really tackle the only opponent who really matters: Trump himself.
That continued at Wednesday’s fourth Republican presidential debate, which once again felt like a spirited race for second place. The candidates spent most of their time squabbling with each other instead of attempting to distinguish themselves from the man polling light years ahead of them. Have they already given up on trying to beat him?
Of course, it’s difficult to debate someone who isn’t there. Trump, once again, declined to take part in Wednesday’s debate, attending a private fundraiser in Florida instead. Still, you would think that the frontrunner in the race would merit a little more attention. But the first question about Trump didn’t even come until an hour into the debate, and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was the only one to bring up the subject on his own. Christie, for his part, criticized his competitors for ignoring the elephant in the room, though his sharp criticisms of Trump were often met with boos from the audience.
And therein lies the problem for Haley and any other Republican who attempts to challenge Trump: the GOP voters. They like Trump, and they want him to be their next president. For the majority of Republican voters, there is no suitable alternative. Some commentators have suggested that Haley might be waiting to criticize Trump until later on in the campaign, such as after the New Hampshire primary in January, so as not to cause undue damage to her own candidacy. That might be too late.
Haley hasn’t necessarily been Trump’s champion on the campaign trail, but she hasn’t been much of a critic, either. Sure, she’s openly disagreed with Trump on policy and called out his “chaos and drama,” but she’s also said she’d support him for president even if he’s a convicted criminal. And, inexcusably, she has failed to warn of the peril he poses to our very democracy.
As the campaign trudges on, Trump’s rhetoric has grown more insidious, but his opponents seem no more willing to condemn it. Just this week, Trump refused to rule out abusing power to seek retribution upon return to the White House, saying he would not be a dictator “except for on day one.” Last month, he compared his political opponents to “vermin” in a speech that sounded alarmingly authoritarian. The best response Haley could muster to the latter was “I don’t agree.” Really?
To be fair, Haley is walking a narrow tightrope. She faces a challenge — politically speaking, at least — in trying to differentiate herself from Trump without alienating too many voters. While she has succeeded at winning over more moderate voters who are opposed to another Trump presidency, those voters are a minority, which is why she’s still only polling at a distant 10% nationwide. Christie, Trump’s fiercest and often only critic in the race, has fared far worse. Polls suggest he is the least favorable candidate among GOP voters, with only a 12% favorability rating. Haley — and DeSantis, for that matter — likely see that as a warning to avoid leaning too hard into criticism of the former president.
Their reticence has not earned them any goodwill, however. Trump called Haley a “birdbrain” online and reportedly sent a birdcage and bird food to Haley’s hotel room in October.
Haley’s candidacy is still a long shot, and she isn’t going to achieve the improbable by going nuclear. But sticking to the status quo won’t get her anywhere, either — and she can’t frame herself as an alternative to Trump if she refuses to make the case for why an alternative is needed in the first place.
This story was originally published December 7, 2023 at 7:39 AM with the headline "Nikki Haley squanders her big moment at latest Republican debate | Opinion."
