Haley knocks Ramaswamy over ‘childish name games’

Former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley fired back at fellow presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy over perceived attacks about her name in a Fox News interview Tuesday.

Ramaswamy used Haley’s maiden name, Nimarata Randhawa, on his campaign site in a move that has drawn criticism as an attempted mock from a fellow Indian American.

“I’m not gonna get involved in these childish name games; it’s pretty pathetic,” Haley said.

The dig at Haley came after she called him out on the stage at the first GOP debate, saying he “has no foreign policy experience, and it shows.” 

She specifically claimed that Ramaswamy wanted to “stop funding Israel” based on comments he made to the Washington Free Beacon this month, which he has since denied.

“First of all, I was born with Nikki on my birth certificate, I was raised as Nikki, I married a Haley, and so that is what my name is, so he can say or misspell or do whatever he wants,” she said. “But he can’t step away from the fact that, look, he’s the one that said he’s gonna abandon Israel. Those were his words. Now he’s wanting to walk it back, and the reality is you have to understand the importance of our allies and those relationships.”

Ramaswamy’s comments about Israel also brought him criticism from Fox News host Sean Hannity on his show airing Tuesday night. 

Ramaswamy has also come under fire over comments comparing Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) to the Ku Klux Klan, saying Juneteenth is a “useless” holiday and repeatedly calling climate change a “hoax.”

Haley’s campaign said they have seen momentum shift for the former South Carolina governor since last week’s debate. She has passed former Vice President Mike Pence for fourth place in the primary in national polling averages, where she has about 5 percent support.