– Actually, Nikki Haley has already won
Despite defeats in the primaries in Iowa and New Hampshire, Donald Trump’s Republican challenger continues to fight. Why?
Published today at 6:30 am
Republican candidate Nikki Haley appears at a primary election campaign event in North Charleston, South Carolina.
Foto: Allison Joyce (Getty Images)
It’s true: Nikki Haley has no chance of winning against Donald Trump in the primaries. The support for the ex-president among the Republican base is too strong. Power within the party is distributed too asymmetrically. That was the lesson of the Iowa and New Hampshire primaries. The other candidates caved in and quickly kissed “King Trump’s” ring. Only Nikki Haley is still standing. But she, the last fighter, also lacks a scenario as to how she could win against Donald Trump in any state. In South Carolina, her home state, she even expects a bitter defeat at the end of February. The former governor is running as an outsider, a “political outcast,” as Politico writes. Trump leads in polls by a large margin. Maybe Haley can get closer to Trump in South Carolina, but then? The USA is big and vast, and Trump’s staff is everywhere. The Trump people have prepared the ground well; in Nevada and California they remodeled the electoral process in favor of the favorite. In Nevada, Haley doesn’t even take part. She knows that in politics there are surprises, but rarely miracles.
And yet she continues to fight – and it seems with increasing desire. On election night in New Hampshire, she admitted defeat, but she didn’t admit she was the loser. In a glamorous evening dress, she dealt against Trump. His age, the chaos, his self-pity. In precise staccato she provokes Donald Trump. He should finally face a debate: “Bring it on!” In South Carolina she savors her role as an inferior: “You underestimate me; That’s always fun for me.” And the choleric Trump, no surprise, is falling into the trap. His victory speech in New Hampshire turned into a tantrum – he insulted his opponent, who was far inferior to him, about her appearance and her Indian roots. This is the ugly face of Trump, he is a bad winner and a dangerous loser. Nikki Haley lost the New Hampshire primary, but won the war of words on points. It ensures that American voters are clearly reminded of Trump’s dark sides. This will help Joe Biden.
The longer Nikki Haley stays in the race, the more she weakens Trump – not for the nomination, but as a future Republican presidential candidate. Because the question is not whether the Republicans will nominate Trump, that is almost certain. The question is how damaged he will enter the election campaign against President Joe Biden. And it looks like Nikki Haley wants to do maximum damage to Trump. No wonder, Trump is fuming and chasing the loyalists in the party against the Republican in order to get her to immediately drop out of the race. Last but not least, Trump has to clear the air as quickly as possible, because he will be on trial in Washington DC and New York in March – which will significantly tie up his energy in the rest of the election year. The indomitable Nikki Haley is more than inconvenient for Trump.
Since the conservative ex-governor and former UN ambassador resists all attempts to put pressure on her, Trump is now trying her financial backers. Trump threatens that anyone who still supports Haley can forget about jumping on the MAGA bandwagon forever. This is having an effect: According to US media reports, some donors have dropped out since last week, but others remain loyal to Haley. The powerful network “Americans for Prosperity” run by US billionaire Charles Koch has not yet distanced itself from Haley.
Nikki Haley has become the star of the anti-Trump Republicans – at least after the miserable exit of candidate Ron DeSantis. In the new edition of the podcast “Pod Save America” she is ennobled by what is probably Trump’s most prominent Republican opponent: former Republican MP Liz Cheney. Committed to fighting Trumpian authoritarianism, she is encouraging Haley to stay in the race until after Super Tuesday on March 5. Then there will be multiple primaries across the United States. “We must constantly and step by step challenge Trump and try to defeat him. And right now Haley is leading the fight, and she should keep it up.” For Nikki Haley it is an investment in her political future. Whether Trump is re-elected this year or not, given his advanced age, the Republican Party will be without him in the not-too-distant future. And Nikki Haley has stepped up to play a leadership role in this post-Trump era. It aims for 2028.
Things to talk about – the podcast from “Der Bund” and Berner ZeitungIsabelle Jacobi is editor-in-chief of “Der Bund” and a member of the editor-in-chief of the Bund/BZ. She comments on politics and current events and speaks with bright minds of different stripes. She co-hosts the podcast “Are you okay, America?”More information@jacobiis
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