Nikki Haley Slams Donald Trump for Making Fun of Her Deployed Husband: ‘‘It’s Disgusting!”

Former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley criticised former President Donald Trump for making light of her husband's deployment and drew attention to his apparent lengthy history of demeaning military personnel. Major Michael Haley of the South Carolina Army National Guard has been deployed to the Horn of Africa since June of last year. However, during a rally on Saturday in Conway, South Carolina, Trump jokingly questioned: "She comes over to see me at Mar-A-Lago. ‘Sir, I will never run against you’. She brought her husband. Where’s her husband? Oh, he’s away. He’s away. What happened to her husband? What happened to her husband?! Where is he?! He’s gone. He knew. He knew."

Nikki has framed the former President's remarks towards her husband as part of a continuing pattern of disrespect toward military members and their service in interviews, fundraising messages, and a new digital ad. She claims it is more proof that he would conduct an unruly general election campaign and presidency. 

At a different event in Gilbert, South Carolina, the state's former governor criticized Trump for his remarks. As reported by Mediate, Nikki said, "It’s disgusting! I mean, every bit of it’s disgusting, you know, to sit there and mock my husband for not being with me on the presidential trail because he is deployed and serving our country. You mock one veteran, you’re mocking all veterans. But this is a pattern... He’s done this over and over again. Whether he went and called military members suckers, whether he was at Arlington Cemetery saying what was in it for them, why would they do this? The problem with Trump is he’s never been anywhere near a uniform."

Nikki intensified her criticism of the outgoing president on X, saying, "Michael is deployed serving our country, something you know nothing about. Someone who continually disrespects the sacrifices of military families has no business being commander in chief." Nikki's spouse also replied on X, sharing a picture of a wolf along with the following text: "The difference between humans and animals? Animals would never allow the dumbest ones to lead the pack."

In the next GOP primary, Trump is attempting to defeat Nikki in her home state, which has made their rivalry more harsh. She has also intensified her criticism of Trump, focusing in particular on his advanced age and diminished cognitive abilities. But it's worth noting that Nikki is behind Trump in the polls in South Carolina, and a significant defeat there may jeopardize the viability of her candidacy.

Furthermore, neither Trump nor Nikki has ever been in the armed forces. Trump had five deferments—four for schooling and one for bone spurs—that prevented him from being recruited for the Vietnam War. Trump reportedly referred to combat-dead servicemen as 'losers' and 'suckers' in September 2020, according to The Atlantic. During his first presidential campaign in 2015, Trump also disparaged the late Sen. John McCain, a Vietnam War prisoner, by saying he preferred 'people who weren't captured.' Three years later, the POTUS also commented that retired Navy Adm. William McRaven should have finished the military operation that killed Osama bin Laden sooner.