Donald Trump called Nikki Haley a racist name on Friday, par for the course for someone who turns to name-calling for his political foes.
He’s doing it again.
Donald Trump is reaching for racism against his political opponent — this time, against former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.
On Friday, the former president and the frontrunner for the Republican Party posted on his Truth Social account an attack against Haley, repeatedly referring to her as « Nimbra, » a play on her birth name, Nimrata Nikki Randhawa. Haley is the daughter of Indian immigrant parents.
It’s difficult to say what Trump is referencing here, whether this is one of his many spelling errors or a deliberate sign of disrespect.
The same week, he referred to Haley as « Nimrada » and, before that, lobbed « birther » claims, saying that she is ineligible to run for president because her parents were not US citizens when she was born. He’s also referred to her as « birdbrain, » mocking Haley’s intelligence.
« I know President Trump well, » Haley recently told CNN’s Jake Tapper in response to Trump’s insults. « That’s what he does when he feels threatened. That’s what he does when he feels insecure. »
For now, Trump maintains a more-than-comfortable lead against his GOP rivals, as recent polling and the Iowa primary have shown. But, in a small silver lining for the former South Carolina governor’s campaign, results of New Hampshire polls show that Haley is a favorite among independents.A Trumpian tactic
Trump is no stranger to racially charged name-calling against his rivals and those whom he may view even as a remote threat. The tactic is so par for the course that Wikipedia has dedicated an entire page to the « List of nicknames used by Donald Trump.
