Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ campaign has taken aim at former South Carolina Governor Haley over her comments, or lack thereof, on the ’cause of the Civil War’ with DeSantis press secretary Bryan Griffin saying she “stepped in a giant mess of her own making.”
Nikki Haley omitted any reference to slavery when addressing the cause of the Civil War during a campaign event in New Hampshire on Wednesday.
While holding a town hall-style campaign event in Berlin, New Hampshire, Haley was questioned by a member of the audience about the cause of the Civil War.
Read: Battle For Iowa Intensifies Between Florida Gov. DeSantis And Former South Carolina Gov. Haley
In response, the former United Nations ambassador stated that the fundamental issue behind the Civil War was “the cause of the Civil War was basically how government was going to run.”
Haley then asked the attendee the same question, and he replied that he wasn’t “running for president.”
This opened the door for sharp criticism.
“Local New Hampshire stations are already covering Nikki Haley’s disastrous town hall tonight where she declined to mention ‘slavery’ when asked “What was the cause of the Civil War?” posted DeSantis War Room on X.
“It’s been 12 hours, and Nikki Haley still hasn’t offered an explanation for her comments. What’s the hold up?” posted DeSantis War Room on X.
After blowback for failing to mention slavery in her answer, Haley clarified during an appearance on New Hampshire radio that she was talking about what the war “means to us today.”
“Of course the Civil War was about slavery. We know that. That’s the easy part of it. What I was saying was what does it mean to us today? What it means to us today is about freedom. That’s what that was all about. It was about individual freedom, it was about economic freedom, it was about individual rights,” said Haley. “Our goal is to make sure, no, we never go back to the stain of slavery, but what’s the lesson in all of that?”
Read: Watch: Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley Drops The Ball On ‘Cause Of Civil War’
Haley’s comments come just weeks away from voting in the key early primary state of New Hampshire, where she has seen a surge in the polls.
The RealClearPolitics average for a 2024 Republican primary in the first-in-the-nation state, based on polling conducted between Dec. 7 and Dec. 19, indicates Haley has 24.8% support behind only former President Donald Trump with 46.3%.
Conservative businessman Vivek Ramaswamy also slammed Haley on social media for her remarks, calling her “a perfect puppet for the corrupt establishment.”
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