Haley Defends Swipe At Trump In State Of The Union Response

The last State of the Union speech of Barack Obama’s presidency was a hit with listeners, while South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley was taking hits for an undisguised shot at Donald Trump in her Republican SOTU response.

At the same time party leaders are mindful that Trump and Cruz are channeling very real voter anger and a backlash against Washington, which is at least partly a creation of GOP leaders’ failure to make good on repeated promises to effectively oppose Obama.

“Mr. Trump has definitely contributed to what I think is just irresponsible talk”, the daughter of Sikh immigrants from India told NBC.

Her response may have disappointed those on the party’s fringe, but it was praised by the Republican establishment.

Outlining his idea of America’s global leadership in the coming decades, which he said would be of instability in West Asia, in Afghanistan and Pakistan, in parts of Central America, Africa and Asia, Mr. Obama said: “We can’t try to take over and rebuild every country that falls into crisis”.

Dan Adamini, of the Marquette County Republican Party said, “The things that he’s talking about are things that many of us can agree on”.

“Just like we have for centuries”, Ms. Haley said.

“He was one of them, yes, he was one, there was other people in the media, there’s people in my state, I think we’re seeing it across the country”, Haley said.

Asked whether he would choose Haley as a running mate, Trump replied: “Whoever I pick is also going to be very strong on illegal immigration”. The harder the GOP establishment and other candidates hit Donald Trump, the more fanatical his supporters become. Her critiques of the nativist rhetoric that’s galvanized segments of the Republican base further cemented her image as a tolerant and inclusive alternative. And, you know, there’s a lot of concern that that’s the drift right now.

Haley told a national audience Tuesday night that Republicans have not been as inclusive as they should be, specifically pointing to Donald Trump’s comments about banning Muslim emigrants to the United States.

Conservative commentator Ann Coulter put it more crudely: “Trump should deport Nikki Haley”. “Take it if you want, take if you don’t but I think our country would be better if you take it”. “That’s how you win and that’s how you have to govern when you’re a governor, and I thought she did a great job”, Bush said. In a phone interview with MSNBC Wednesday, Trump came out swinging against Haley, saying she was “weak on immigration” and arguing he’s not anxious he made an enemy out of the governor of an early primary state. “But I will say, tone matters, message matters, and responsibility matters”. Trump has donated $7,000 to Haley’s two gubernatorial runs and $5,000 to a political group with ties to the governor.