Former Governor of South Carolina Nikki Haley was met with chants of “We love Trump” and other jeers from the former president’s supporters after she finished her speech at a gathering of influential conservatives.
Haley, the first major candidate to officially challenge Donald Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, was mobbed by hecklers Friday as she left the Conservative Political Action Conference outside Washington.
The program shows Trump’s passionate following among some conservatives, despite questions about whether enthusiasm for the former president is waning as polls show many Republican voters want an alternative.
Haley, a former UN ambassador under Trump, Haley, 51, received a warm welcome from the CPAC crowd as she began her remarks. She mainly focused her speech on criticizing President Joe Biden and the “socialist Democrats” – as well as the threat from China – and did not draw direct differences to Trump.
She indirectly blasted the former president by pointing out that Republicans have lost the popular vote in seven of the last eight presidential elections and by calling for a test mental capacity for all politicians over the age of 75 – which would apply to Trump, 76.
“Our cause is right, but we have failed to win the confidence of a majority of Americans,” Haley said. “That is coming to an end now. If you are tired of losing, trust a new generation.”
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Ohio biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy were among those scheduled to speak Friday. Trump – who credits CPAC with helping launch his political career – is set to address the crowd on Saturday night.
Pompeo avoided drawing direct differences with Trump but pointed out that the former president added $8 trillion to the US debt which is now at $31 trillion, which he said is “very unconservative” and “obscene and unsustainable”. “
The former secretary of state noted that Republicans have had disappointing results in the last three federal elections and appeared to be referring to Trump’s character – and mocking the White House of his own – when he said that people who claim to be conservatives excuse their hypocrisy by saying that the voters elect a president, not Sunday school teacher.
“That’s true, but after we teach Sunday school, we might get both,” Pompeo said in his speech. “It’s time for us to make sure we’re living out the truth.” things we want others to do.”
– Contributed by Mark Niquette.
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