Trump vows to crush Haley as Republican race heads south

International Desk

Donald Trump and Nikki
Haley go head-to-head Saturday in South Carolina’s Republican primary, with
the ex-president expected to trounce his former charge in her home state as
he closes in on the nomination.

Haley was a popular governor of the Palmetto State for six years before
becoming Trump’s UN ambassador in 2017, but her old boss is backed by the
party establishment and nearly two-thirds of voters in opinion polling.

The candidates largely swapped only glancing blows in the early nominating
contests in Iowa and New Hampshire in January, but the rhetorical artillery
fire has intensified since the primary narrowed into a two-horse race.

“Tomorrow you will cast one of the most important votes of your entire life
and — honestly — we’re not very worried about tomorrow,” a nonchalant Trump
told an election-eve rally in the city of Rock Hill.

Seeking to demonstrate that he was already looking beyond Haley, he vowed to
show President Joe Biden and the Democrats “that we are coming like a freight
train in November,” when the general election will be held.

South Carolinians do not have to indicate party allegiance when they register
to vote, and are allowed to have their say in either the Democratic or the
Republican primary.

Haley — a more traditional conservative who espouses limited government and
a muscular foreign policy — will rely on votes from moderates, although the
tactic did little for her as she lost to Trump in each of the first four
nominating contests.

– Legal fees –

Voters interviewed by AFP in South Carolina capital Columbia on Thursday were
complimentary about both candidates, although one voter felt Haley wasn’t
ready for the highest office and another criticized Trump for being
“divisive.”

“He’ll go after people that don’t agree with him. Being a Christian, I don’t
feel good about that,” said financial advisor and Haley voter David Gilliam,
55.

The primary comes amid signs that the frontrunner — who faces four criminal
indictments — is tightening his hold over the party as he pushes for a
reshuffle to install family members and allies at the top of the Republican
National Committee.

His daughter-in-law Lara Trump has promised to spend “every single penny” of
party funds on his presidential campaign should she become an RNC cochair,
and has argued that paying his legal bills is of “big interest” to Republican
voters.

Haley has sought to focus on the “chaos” that she says follows Trump,
pointing to $8 million in campaign donations he spent on legal fees in
January and predicting that his total outlay on court cases this year could
top $100 million.

– IVF ruling –

“He has turned his presidential campaign into a legal defense slush fund and
will not have the resources or focus to go up against Joe Biden and the
Democrats,” said Haley national spokeswoman Olivia Perez-Cubas.

In common with Democrats, Haley has also been hitting Trump over his outlook
on the international stage and oft-voiced admiration for the leaders of the
world’s most authoritarian regimes.

She has blasted Trump’s reaction to the death of Russian dissident Alexei
Navalny — in which he avoided criticism of President Vladimir Putin — and
his threat to encourage Moscow to attack NATO nations that had not met their
financial obligations.

But Haley’s central argument for months has been that polling shows her
performing better than Trump in hypothetical matchups with Biden.

She has vowed to compete in the Republican primary through “Super Tuesday” —
when multiple states vote on March 5 — regardless of what happens in South
Carolina on Saturday.

Reproductive rights are likely to figure prominently in the election, with
Trump avoiding taking a clear position on proposals for a nationwide abortion
ban after appointing three Supreme Court justices who helped gut federal
protections.

A wrinkle was added when Alabama’s supreme court ruled last week that frozen
embryos can be considered children, signaling a new front in the debate and
posing questions for in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinics.

Trump — keenly aware the Alabama decision risks alienating moderate and
women voters — voiced support Friday for preserving access to IVF programs,
calling on the state’s legislature to “act quickly to find an immediate
solution” to ensure it remained available.