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Haley Backs Trump Despite Past Criticism

Trump, who has stoked speculation about his running mate naming those in consideration, has ruled out Haley…reports Asian Lite News

After running a spirited primary challenge to former US President Donald Trump, Nikki Haley, the former Ambassador to the UN, said on Wednesday that she will vote for him.

“I will be voting for Trump,” the Indian-descent politician said in a speech at Hudson Institute, a think-tank where she will hold a chair.

“She went on to explain her reasons. As a voter, I put my priorities on a President who’s going to have the backs of our allies and hold our enemies to account. Who would secure the border, no more excuses. A President who would support capitalism and freedom. A President who understands we need less debt, not more debt.”

“Trump has not been perfect on these policies. I have made that clear many, many times. But Biden has been a catastrophe.”

Haley’s endorsement triggered talk of joining the Trump ticket as running mate.

Trump, who has stoked speculation about his running mate naming those in consideration, has ruled out Haley.

But if Haley can change her mind about Trump, so and Trump about her.

Running against him for the party’s nomination to run for the White House, she had called him “unhinged” and chaos followed him wherever he went.

She had even suggested a mental acuity test for candidates running for President citing some of his many fumbles, which included mistaking Haley for Nancy Pelosi, a former Democratic Speaker of the House of Representatives.

A key reason Trump could change his mind on Haley is her supporters in the Republican Party, who remain so deeply hostile to him that they have continued to vote for her in the ongoing primaries even though she is no longer in the race. And these are not a handful of voters.

She won 21 per cent of the votes in the Indiana primary earlier this month even though she has been out of the contest for weeks now.

Haley reminded Trump about her supporters.

“Trump would be smart to reach out to the millions of people who voted for me and continue to support me and not assume that they’re just going to be with him. And I genuinely hope he does.”

Even President Joe Biden’s campaign has been eyeing Haley’s supporters and has been wooing them as a sizable voting block.

Trump has a tight grip on the core of the Republican Party, which ensured his victory in the primaries and grants him an extortionist’s hold on the lawmakers of his party who fear the support of his base if they upset him. But Trump will need to carry his party to come within striking range of the White House and he needs Haley’s supporters.

None of the other Vice-President aspirants who Trump paraded at a recent fundraiser at his Mar-a-Lago resort, have anything similar to offer to the former President. She has secured 14 per cent in the Republican primaries even after exiting the race.

ALSO READ-Trump video mentions ‘unified Reich’, Biden calls it ‘Hitler’s language’

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-Top News Politics USA

Vivek urges Haley, DeSantis to drop out

DeSantis and Haley, who emerged second and third in the caucus, hope to overtake Trump further down the primaries…reports Asian Lite News

After suspending his presidential campaign, Indian-American Vivek Ramaswamy thinks it would be “healthy for the country” if Republican candidates Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis,drop out of the 2024 White House race and endorse former President Donald Trump.

In an interview with Fox News on Tuesday, the biotech entrepreneur said the Republican voter base in Iowa has “spoken loud and clear” that they want Trump to be the presidential nominee.

“I think Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley would actually at this point, do this country and this party a service by stepping aside to make sure that we’re focused on not only nominating Donald Trump, but getting this country back and reviving those founding revolutionary ideals,” the 38-year-old said.

“I do think that would be healthy for this country,” he added.

The twice-impeached former President, facing more than 90 criminal charges, emerged triumphant in Iowa and solidified his position as the frontrunner for the Republican nomination.

DeSantis and Haley, who emerged second and third in the caucus, hope to overtake Trump further down the primaries but the gap between the former President and both his rivals remains too wide.

“I think it’s very clear who the Republican primary electorate is saying that they want to be their nominee. I ran to be that person. They sent me a very positive message. But the very positive message they sent to all of us is that Donald Trump needs to be the nominee of this party,” Ramaswamy said.

“And I think that you know what, especially Ron DeSantis, at least of the two of them will have an important role to play in the future of this country leading this nation,” he added.

ALSO READ: Trump Moves Closer to Contest with Biden

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-Top News USA

Republican Rivals Target Haley in Alabama Debate

Christie takes on Trump: ‘An angry, bitter man’: Moderators frequently posed their Trump-related questions to Christie, who has built his campaign on attacking the former president, unlike the other candidates…reports Asian Lite News

Nikki Haley, the most powerful rival and second runner to ex-President Donald Trump in the polls, came under heavy flak in the 4th GOP sponsored presidential debate at the University of Alabama here. It was the most crucial debate as voters get to choose their candidates in Iowa and New Hampshire in less than 40 days.

The smallest debate of the three so far, the Tuscaloosa one in Alabama University literally saw knives out for Haley amid her continued rise in the primary polls. Haley and DeSantis took the center stage as they vied for a distant second place spot to Trump remains the polling front-runner.

The debate, the smallest yet, featured former UN ambassador Nikki Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.

On the side-lines of the stage, Christie took on Trump, while Ramaswamy took on everyone else with Trumpian type theatrics, media reports said.

Here are five takeaways from the latest Republican debate.

Haley takes the brunt of attacks: Haley, who has scored high in past debates, according to polling, was the main target of the attacks on Wednesday night. From the very beginning, Ramaswamy and DeSantis took on the former ambassador for her stance on China, social media, transgender rights and more.

“She caves any time the left comes after her,” DeSantis said as he slammed her record. “Any time the media comes after her.”

Haley responded: “I love all of the attention fellas.” One opponent on stage, however, took a moment to defend her from Ramaswamy’s personal digs at her foreign policy chops. And that was former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

While most were afraid to take on Trump or attack Trump or dodged questions, Chris Christie stood his ground to attack Trump upfront and said he was unfit to be the president in 2024. And while defending Nikki Haley, Chris Christie, who as attorney general followed up on the cases after the 9/11 attacks, said: “He (Ramaswamy) has insulted Nikki Haley’s basic intelligence. Not her positions, her basic intelligence”.

Christie said, “Look, if you want to disagree on issues that are fine. Nikki and I disagree on some issues. I’ve known her for 12 years … and while we disagree about some issues and we disagree about who should be president of the US, what we don’t disagree on is this is a smart, accomplished woman. You should stop insulting her.”

Ramaswamy attacked Nikki Haley for being on the board of Boeing in her home state and alleged she was corrupt doing favours for the plane manufacturing company. After being governor of South Carolina and UN Ambassador she should not have served the interest of the private sector by being on the board of a corporation. Ramaswamy said while also debunking the Biden administration’s spending on climate change technologies. .

There is no law in the US that forbids a politician from joining the board of a private sector company after demitting a public office or a government post. Nikki said she did nothing wrong and said Boeing helped her home state by generating more jobs and that she did withdraw from the company when any controversial issue arose.

DeSantis defends record as campaign stagnates: The first question on the credentials and electability factor to be President in 2024 went to DeSantis and it was about electability. Moderator Megyn Kelly asked him for his response to voters who, according to the poll numbers that show his support has flatlined in second place, seem to be telling him: “Not no, but not now.”

Like he did throughout much of the night, DeSantis made the case that he’s got a list of conservative wins as governor compared with Trump’s past defeats, media reports said.

“So we have a great idea in America that the voters actually make these decisions, not pundits or pollsters,” he responded. “I’m sick of hearing about these polls, ’cause I remember those polls in November of 2022. They said there was going to be a big red wave. It was going to be monumental, and that crashed and burned. The one place it didn’t crash and burn was in the state of Florida.”

“They weren’t predicting that I would win the way I did, and I won the greatest Republican victory in the history of the state of Florida,” he said.,

Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the others were participating in the NewsNation Republican Presidential Primary Debate at the University of Alabama Moody Music Hall on Dec. 6, 2023 in Tuscaloosa.

Christie takes on Trump: ‘An angry, bitter man’: Moderators frequently posed their Trump-related questions to Christie, who has built his campaign on attacking the former president, unlike the other candidates.

Some of his sharpest comments came when asked about Trump’s “dictator” comments to Fox News host Sean Hannity on Tuesday night. Christie said the remarks were “completely predictable” and called Trump an “an angry, bitter man.”

“So do I think he was kidding when he said he was a dictator? All you have to do is look at the history, and that’s why failing to speak out against him, making excuses for him, pretending that somehow he’s a victim — empowers him,” Christie said.

“You want to know why those poll numbers are where they are? Because folks like these three guys on the stage make it seem like his conduct is acceptable. Let me make it clear. His conduct is unacceptable,” Christie said. “He’s unfit, and be careful what you’re gonna get if you ever got another Donald Trump term. He’s letting you know … He will only be his own retribution. He doesn’t care for the American people, it’s Donald Trump first,” he said, drawing some boos.

Christie also called out DeSantis for not giving a straight answer when asked if Trump is “mentally fit” for office, accusing DeSantis of being “afraid to answer.”

Ramaswamy keeps up fiery antics: While Ramaswamy’s campaign has faded to the background as his polls remain at 5% nationally, the entrepreneur reprised his role as disruptor on the debate stage. He was relentless as he went after everyone else. He again called Haley a female “Dick Cheney” and held up a sign that read “Nikki=Corrupt” as he questioned her authenticity.

Christie had enough of the Trumpian style behaviour of Ramaswamy, who tried to ape the ex president to get this attention. , “This is the fourth debate that you would be voted in the first 20 minutes as the most obnoxious blowhard in America,” Christie said as he pointed a finger at Ramaswamy in one of the most heated exchanges of the night. “So shut up for a little while.”

Ramaswamy turned almost hostile when he asked Christie to get off the stage.

Narrow policy differences: Ramaswamy was a lone voice advocating for the US to take a less prominent role in the Israel-Hamas war, calling his approach “pro-American” and “pro-Israel.”

“As your next president, my sole moral duty is to you, the people of this country,” he said. Referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he added, “That’s how I’m going to lead.

So I’ll tell Bibi (Netanyahu), , ‘You smoke the terrorists on your southern border, you go ahead, and we’re rooting for you. We’re going to smoke the terrorists on our southern border,’ and that’s how I’m going to lead this country.”

Slight differences were also apparent when it came to immigration and border policies. Haley didn’t endorse Trump’s plan to revive his ban on travel from majority-Muslim countries and said instead there should be a review of countries that have terrorist activity and represent a threat to the US DeSantis hit back, saying he’d go further in imposing limits on immigration to countries “hostile” to America.

The smallest debate of the three so far , the Tuscaloosa one in Alabama University literally saw knives out for Haley amid her continued rise in the primary polls . Haley and DeSantis took the center stage as they vied for a distant second place spot to former President Donald Trump remains the polling front-runner.

The debate, the smallest yet, featured former UN ambassador Nikki Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.

On the side-lines of the stage, Christie took on Trump, while Ramaswamy took on everyone else with Trumpian type theatrics, media reports said.

Here are five takeaways from the latest Republican debate.

Haley takes the brunt of attacks: Haley, who has scored high in past debates, according to polling, was the main target of the attacks on Wednesday night. From the very beginning, Ramaswamy and DeSantis took on the former ambassador for her stance on China, social media, transgender rights and more.

“She caves any time the left comes after her,” DeSantis said as he slammed her record. “Any time the media comes after her.”

Haley responded: “I love all of the attention fellas.” One opponent on stage, however, took a moment to defend her from Ramaswamy’s personal digs at her foreign policy chops.And that was former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

While most were afraid to take on Trump or attack Trump or dodged questions, Chris Christie stood his ground to attack Trump upfront and said he was unfit to be the president in 2024. And while defending Nikki Haley, Chris Christie, who as attorney general followed up on the cases after the 9/11 attacks, said: “He (Ramaswamy) has insulted Nikki Haley’s basic intelligence. Not her positions, her basic intelligence,”.

Christie said, “Look, if you want to disagree on issues that are fine. Nikki and I disagree on some issues. I’ve known her for 12 years … and while we disagree about some issues and we disagree about who should be president of the United States, what we don’t disagree on is this is a smart, accomplished woman. You should stop insulting her.”

Ramaswamy attacked Nikki Haley for being on the board of Boeing in her home state and alleged she was corrupt doing favours for the plane manufacturing company. After being governor of South Carolina and UN Ambassador she should not have served the interest of the private sector by being on the board of a corporation. Ramaswamy said while also debunking the Biden administration’s spending on climate change technologies. .

There is no law in the US that forbids a politician from joining the board of a private sector company after demitting a public office or a government post. Nikki said she did nothing wrong and said Boeing helped her home state by generating more jobs and that she did withdraw from the company when any controversial issue arose.

DeSantis defends record as campaign stagnates: The first question on the credentials and electability factor to be President in 2024 went to DeSantis and it was about electability. Moderator Megyn Kelly asked him for his response to voters who, according to the poll numbers that show his support has flatlined in second place, seem to be telling him: “Not no, but not now.”

Like he did throughout much of the night, DeSantis made the case that he’s got a list of conservative wins as governor compared with Trump’s past defeats, media reports said.

“So we have a great idea in America that the voters actually make these decisions, not pundits or pollsters,” he responded. “I’m sick of hearing about these polls, ’cause I remember those polls in November of 2022. They said there was going to be a big red wave. It was going to be monumental, and that crashed and burned. The one place it didn’t crash and burn was in the state of Florida.”

“They weren’t predicting that I would win the way I did, and I won the greatest Republican victory in the history of the state of Florida,” he said.,

Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the others were participating in the NewsNation Republican Presidential Primary Debate at the University of Alabama Moody Music Hall on Dec. 6, 2023 in Tuscaloosa.

Christie takes on Trump: ‘An angry, bitter man’: Moderators frequently posed their Trump-related questions to Christie, who has built his campaign on attacking the former president, unlike the other candidates.

Some of his sharpest comments came when asked about Trump’s “dictator” comments to Fox News host Sean Hannity on Tuesday night. Christie said the remarks were “completely predictable” and called Trump an “an angry, bitter man.”

“So do I think he was kidding when he said he was a dictator? All you have to do is look at the history, and that’s why failing to speak out against him, making excuses for him, pretending that somehow he’s a victim — empowers him,” Christie said.

“You want to know why those poll numbers are where they are? Because folks like these three guys on the stage make it seem like his conduct is acceptable. Let me make it clear. His conduct is unacceptable,” Christie said. “He’s unfit, and be careful what you’re gonna get if you ever got another Donald Trump term. He’s letting you know …. He will only be his own retribution. He doesn’t care for the American people, it’s Donald Trump first,” he said, drawing some boos.

Christie also called out DeSantis for not giving a straight answer when asked if Trump is “mentally fit” for office, accusing DeSantis of being “afraid to answer.”

Ramaswamy keeps up fiery antics” While Ramaswamy’s campaign has faded to the background as his polls remain at 5% nationally, the entrepreneur reprised his role as disruptor on the debate stage. He was relentless as he went after everyone else. He again called Haley a female “Dick Cheney” and held up a sign that read “Nikki=Corrupt” as he questioned her authenticity.

Christie had enough of the Trumpian style behaviour of Ramaswamy, who tried to ape the ex president to get this attention. , “This is the fourth debate that you would be voted in the first 20 minutes as the most obnoxious blowhard in America,” Christie said as he pointed a finger at Ramaswamy in one of the most heated exchanges of the night. “So shut up for a little while.”

Ramaswamy turned almost hostile when he asked Christie to get off the stage.

Narrow policy differences: Ramaswamy was a lone voice advocating for the U.S. to take a less prominent role in the Israel-Hamas war, calling his approach “pro-American” and “pro-Israel.”

“As your next president, my sole moral duty is to you, the people of this country,” he said. Referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he added, “That’s how I’m going to lead.

So I’ll tell Bibi (Netanyahu), , ‘You smoke the terrorists on your southern border, you go ahead, and we’re rooting for you. We’re going to smoke the terrorists on our southern border,’ and that’s how I’m going to lead this country.”

Slight differences were also apparent when it came to immigration and border policies. Haley didn’t endorse Trump’s plan to revive his ban on travel from majority-Muslim countries and said instead there should be a review of countries that have terrorist activity and represent a threat to the US DeSantis hit back, saying he’d go further in imposing limits on immigration to countries “hostile” to America.

ALSO READ-Koch Network Backs Nikki Haley for GOP Primary