In the latest dig at his rival for the Republican presidential nomination, Donald Trump mocked Nikki Haley’s birth name, Nimrata Randhawa, adding her to the list of foes he’s targeted with racist attacks.
The former South Carolina governor and U.S. ambassador has long used her middle name Nikki and adopted the surname Haley after her marriage in 1996.
But Trump repeatedly referred to Haley as “Nimbra” in a Truth Social rant, insisting she “doesn’t have what it takes” to be president.
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Trump’s attacks on Haley have increased in past months as she’s gained ground in primary polls and courted influential Republican donors.
He also lodged an untrue birther argument at her, claiming she was ineligible to run for president because her parents were not U.S. citizens when she was born in Bamberg, South Carolina, in 1972.
Although her Indian immigrant parents were naturalized after her birth, Trump’s claim about her presidential ineligibility doesn’t hold up, since Haley is a natural-born citizen by Constitutional definition. Her parents’ immigrant status decades ago doesn’t affect her legitimacy as a candidate.
The birther argument is a common tactic Trump has deployed against his political rivals. He peddled the conspiracy theory against former president Barack Obama, who was born in Hawaii, not Kenya, as Trump claimed; and against Vice President Kamala Harris, who is Black and South Asian.
Haley dismissed Trump’s attacks. “He’s clearly insecure if he goes and does these temper tantrums, if he’s spending millions of dollars on TV,” she told reporters on Friday.
