Nikki Haley is running for the Republican presidential nomination against former President Donald Trump.
Republican Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Matt Gaetz of Florida attended former President Trump’s first official campaign rally on Saturday and traded barbs with presidential candidate Nikki Haley.
The rally took place in Waco, Texas, on the 30th anniversary of federal agents torching the religious cult Branch Davidians’ compound. More than 80 people were killed during the federal law enforcement siege, including nearly 30 children. However, Trump’s team claims that the rally’s location and timing have nothing to do with the siege.
Greene and Gaetz, both Trump supporters, spoke in support of the former president during the rally on Saturday.
The representatives criticized Haley, a former South Carolina governor and former United Nations ambassador under Trump, for her foreign policy agenda while also questioning her candidacy.
The Georgia congresswoman dismissed Haley as a legitimate presidential candidate, claiming that no one has a “list of names” like the former president to “clean out the swamp.”(Photo: AFP via Getty Images)
The Georgia congresswoman dismissed Haley as a legitimate presidential candidate, claiming that no one has a “list of names” like the former president to “clean out the swamp.”
“Here’s what we know about President Trump,” she told the conservative outlet Right Side Broadcasting Network in an interview. “President Trump has a list of names that no one else has.” Ron DeSantis lacks this quality. Nikki Haley, or whoever she is, doesn’t have any of that. Nobody knows how to drain the swamp like President Trump.”
Greene’s jab at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis comes despite the fact that he has not declared a presidential run, though he is expected to do so in the coming months. Trump has repeatedly attacked the Florida governor, who is widely regarded as the ex-most president’s serious challenger for the GOP nomination in 2024.
Gaetz made fun of Haley’s previous comments in a campaign video, saying, “I don’t put up with bullies, and when you kick back, it hurts them more if you’re wearing heels.”
“Nikki Haley says we have to kick all of the world’s bullies with heels,” Gaetz said during the rally. “However, we cannot go around the world kicking and screaming, starting new wars behind every Middle Eastern sand dune, as Nikki Haley would have us do.”
“So Nikki Haley can continue clicking her heels,” he added. “What we do know is that President Donald Trump will subdue America’s enemies.”
And, while Trump has increased his attacks on DeSantis in recent months, he has not done so on Haley, whom he welcomed into the presidential race last month by saying, “the more the merrier.”
“I’m glad she’s running,” Trump said at the time to FOX News Digital. “I want her to follow her heart, even though she promised not to run against the man she called “the greatest president of her lifetime.”
Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy has also declared his candidacy for president, and other Republicans, including DeSantis, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and former Vice President Mike Pence, are considering a run.
Read also: Chris Christie Considers 2024 Presidential Run, Competing Against Trump And DeSantis
