Donald Trump is “worried” about Nikki Haley, said a former Republican congressman, following the former president’s appearance in South Carolina.
Trump, who is the current frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, was in the state for the annual Palmetto Bowl between the University of South Carolina and Clemson University on Saturday.
The former president walked into Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia to boos, but was also met with chants of “We want Trump! We want Trump!” during the game.
Trump has a wide polling lead among Republican primary voters, nationally as well as in early nominating states such as South Carolina.
Haley, a Clemson alumna who was governor of the state until Trump elevated her to United Nations ambassador in 2017, did not attend.
Trump was a guest of Gov. Henry McMaster, Haley’s successor.
His visit to South Carolina shows he is concerned that Haley could “give him a run for his money,” according to former Republican Rep. Carlos Curbelo.
Sean Rayford/Getty Images
“The reason he’s in South Carolina is because Donald Trump’s a little worried about Nikki Haley,” Curbelo, who represented Florida’s 26th congressional district from 2015 to 2019, told host Rev. Al Sharpton on MSNBC’s PoliticsNation.
“She’s been growing in the polls and he has to face her one-on-one in some of these early primary states, she could give him a run for his money.”
Trump’s campaign on Saturday announced that he had been endorsed by “more South Carolina legislators than all opposing candidates combined,” including six state lawmakers who had supported Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina before he ended his presidential bid earlier in November.
When asked about the coming primary matchup against Trump, Haley spokeswoman Olivia Perez-Cubas told The Associated Press that she is “the only candidate with momentum.”
Referencing Haley’s previous come-from-behind victories, Perez-Cubas added that South Carolinians “know their governor has what it takes to win because they’ve seen her beat the odds before—not just once, but twice.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was once considered Trump’s chief rival in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, but his campaign has struggled and he has remained in distant second place all year.
Recent polls show Haley has gained ground on DeSantis. A recent Washington Post/Monmouth University poll of Republican primary voters in New Hampshire found Haley was the second favorite, with 18 percent supporting her compared to 46 percent backing Trump. DeSantis polled in fifth place.
South Carolina is fourth in the GOP voting calendar after Iowa, and will hold its presidential primary on February 24, 2024, after New Hampshire and Nevada.
Newsweek has contacted the Trump and Haley campaigns for further comment via email.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.