Nikki Haley misspeaks Caitlin Clark’s last name, reignites Civil War controversy
CORALVILLE, Iowa — Failing to mention slavery as the cause of the Civil War was not the only mistake Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley made this week. On Saturday morning, at the Iowa Athletic Club in Coralville, Haley misspoke and misnamed Iowa Hawkeyes superstar Caitlin Clark, calling her by the wrong surname.
The former United Nations ambassador and South Carolina governor flubbed Clark’s last name while speaking to a crowd that gathered at a local restaurant for a tailgate-style event ahead of the Hawkeyes women’s basketball game.
“We’re excited to see the Lady Hawkeyes team. What a great coach they have. Caitlin Collins is phenomenal,” said Haley, in an apparent reference to CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins.
Collins responded to a tweet about Haley’s misstep that has since gone viral, saying: “I can assure you her free-throw percentage is better than mine.”
Later, at an event in Cedar Rapids, Haley continued to rave about the Iowa women’s basketball coach Lisa Bluder and her team and reminisced about the days when she was a “basketball mom” to her son, Nalin Haley.
Haley’s stop in Cedar Rapids concluded her two-day campaign tour in Iowa. Haley returned to the Hawkeye State Friday and hosted town halls in Dubuque and Cedar Rapids. Her trip Saturday also included watching the basketball game at the Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City with her son.
Haley received backlash this week from her Republican and Democratic rivals after failing to mention slavery as the cause of the Civil War while answering a voter’s question. On Wednesday, at a Berlin, New Hampshire town hall, a voter asked the presidential hopeful what sparked the Civil War.
“Well, don’t come with an easy question or anything,” Haley responded. “I mean, I think the cause of the Civil War was basically how the government was going to run. The freedoms and what people could and couldn’t do.”
Haley has since walked back her comments and said “of course the Civil War was about slavery.” She also has suggested that the questioner may have been a Democratic plant in the audience.
Cedar Falls resident Stephen Ephraim said he couldn’t care less about Haley’s remarks — or lack thereof — and the frenzy that followed. And, he says, he thinks Haley could win the election against President Joe Biden if she is named the Republican presidential nominee.