Nikki Haley is Donald Trump’s only remaining challenger (File/Reuters)
Washington:
Donald Trump’s only remaining challenger, Nikki Haley, said on Sunday that Donald Trump wants to “bully” his way to the Republican presidential nomination, as she accused Republican leadership of trying to announce him as the nominee prematurely. .
Haley lost the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary but vowed to stay in the race despite Trump’s insistence, backed by some top Republican leaders, that the race was over.
“He can’t be nominated in a bullying way,” Haley said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
Haley noted that the nomination process is still in its early stages — so far, Republicans have only cast votes in Iowa and New Hampshire — and suggested that Trump was prematurely pressuring the RNC for his support. he.
“You can’t do that based on just two states,” she said.
The former South Carolina governor specifically accused the Republican National Committee of directing the national party’s support and resources toward Trump shortly after the New Hampshire vote.
Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel told Fox News on Tuesday that the will of voters is “very clear.” “We need to rally around our ultimate nominee, Donald Trump.”
But with 48 states yet to vote, Haley told NBC, “I don’t think that’s the RNC’s position… I think Trump crossed a line in pushing them to do that.”
Haley said she expected to stay in the race at least until so-called “Super Tuesday” on March 5, when voters in 16 states and U.S. territories go to the polls in what could be a decisive event.
The next Republican primary will be held on February 24 in Haley’s home state of South Carolina. But most Republican lawmakers there support Trump, and polls show he could defeat the former governor in a landslide.
Haley suggested on NBC that even a loss there wouldn’t necessarily put her out of the race, saying she would just have to do better than she did in New Hampshire, where she lost to Trump by 11 points.
“We’re going to keep moving forward and see where this leads us,” she said. “I’m taking it one state at a time.”
Haley also dismissed suggestions that she might remain in the race, hoping that Trump’s many legal issues, or his health, might leave an opening for a challenger.
“I’ve never stayed in this game because of a court case,” she said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
