Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley attracted some surprise attention after Wednesday’s presidential debate, including some negative attention from rival candidate Donald Trump.
Trump nicknamed her “Birdbrain Nikki Haley” on Monday… and the Trump campaign allegedly sent her a birdcage on Monday.
“MAGA, or I, will never go for Birdbrain Nikki Haley,” Trump said Friday on Truth Social. “Birdbrain doesn’t have the TALENT or TEMPERAMENT to do the job.”
Former President Trump took issue with Haley for breaking her promise not to run against him.
“No loyalty, plenty of lies! ‘I will never run against our great President,’ she said,’he has done an outstanding job.’ To which I responded,’How nice of you to say, Nikki,’ knowing full well that her words mean nothing,” Trump said of his former nominee for the role of U.S. ambassador to the U.N.
Then on Monday, the campaign allegedly sent Haley a topical gift: a birdcage.
Haley interpreted the gift as a sign of insecurity from Trump. “After a day of campaigning, this is the message waiting for me outside my hotel room,” Haley tweeted, along with a picture of the birdcage. “#PrettyPatheticTryAgain #YouJustMadeMyCaseForMe”
Take a look —
After a day of campaigning, this is the message waiting for me outside my hotel room…#PrettyPatheticTryAgain#YouJustMadeMyCaseForMe pic.twitter.com/htbSumo58r
— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) October 1, 2023
Some pundits called for Haley to release the hotel’s security footage and prove the source of the gift. One person even accused her of making false allegations against the Trump campaign.
However, some members of the Trump campaign took credit for the stunt. One campaign staffer even shared an action shot with the outlet The Messenger.
The national politics reporter for The Messenger described the pundits’ skepticism as conspiratorial. “THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE,” the reporter said sarcastically.
Trump himself may or may not have been involved in the stunt. “We like to troll,” Trump has said in the past.
Take a look —
This looks like the lamest bullshit Smollett stunt any political campaign has concocted in quite some time. Haley better be ready to prove that’s not the case.
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) October 1, 2023
— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) October 1, 2023
Haley may be trailing Trump in the polls, but she still experienced a post-debate bump.
She sold out a fundraiser in Los Angeles the day after the debate, and in some polls, Haley has overtaken the No. 2 spot from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Ozzie Palomo, a GOP donor, told Politico that he’d attended Wednesday’s debate specifically to support Haley.
“To her campaign’s credit, they’ve had a methodical approach from Day One, and they stuck to it,” Palomo said. “They said, ‘Here’s how we’re going to spend it.’ From a donor perspective, you appreciate that. You have a lot of campaigns out there, they get a large infusion of cash and burn through it very quickly on things that may not necessarily deliver results in the polls and with the electorate.”
“There isn’t a mainstream megadonor now not looking at Nikki,” another big donor told the outlet anonymously. “They may not all be on board yet. But they are giving her a serious look and are starting to engage in one way or the other.”
Meanwhile, the Trump campaign has criticized Haley for relying on big donors.
“I love it — they all talk tough on China, but then they’ll take the Club for China Growth’s money,” Chris LaCivita, a Trump adviser told Politico. “People like politicians that are loyal. Nikki Haley is anything but, and that matters to Republican primary voters.”
The Horn editorial team