Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) knocked former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley on Tuesday as being “really reflective of the old failed Republican establishment of yesteryear” as he seeks to make his pitch as the viable alternative to former President Trump for the 2024 GOP nomination.
“Even a campaigner as good as Chris [Christie] is not going to be able to paper over Nikki being an establishment candidate. I mean, she’s getting funded by liberal Democrats from California, like a founder of LinkedIn, people on Wall Street, like the head of JPMorgan,” DeSantis said during a CNN town hall in Iowa.
“She’s getting all these folks that are going to her. Guess what, guys, those folks do not want to see conservative change in this country. So why are they gravitating to her?” he continued.
DeSantis targeted Haley over a previous proposal in which she suggested social media accounts should be verified by name before later dialing her position to suggest that the policy should be directed toward foreign users but not American ones.
“I think her positions on things like saying her first day in office, she’s going to demand that everyone produce their name on social media. She said I want your name. What, you’re going to doxx the whole country? Conservatives have been singled out for expressing opinions on social media,” DeSantis said.
“I think there’s so many problems with her policy positions. She’s really reflective of the old failed Republican establishment of yesteryear,” he added, while praising former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), another 2024 hopeful, as a “great campaigner.”
Haley has previously defended corporate donors expressing interest in her and said during the fourth GOP presidential debate, “I don’t ask them what their policies are, they ask me what my policies are.”
“And I tell them what it is. Sometimes they agree with me, sometimes they don’t. Some don’t like how tough I am on China. Some don’t like the fact that I’ve signed pro-life bills. Some don’t like the fact that I may oppose corporate bailouts. That doesn’t matter. That’s who I am,” she said.
Haley also defended her previous comments around her social media policy during the fourth debate, saying the issue was solely focused on foreign actors, not American social media accounts.
“I will always fight for freedom of speech for Americans. We do not need freedom of speech for Russians and Iranians and Hamas. We need social media companies to go and fight back on all of these bots that are happening,” she said during the fourth debate.
New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) announced his endorsement of Haley on Tuesday night during a campaign stop in Manchester. Sununu had largely been mum about his plans around a potential campaign endorsement, though there was speculation he would back Haley, given her momentum in the state.
“When you look at her poll numbers, when you look at the ground game that Nikki has laid, it’s been absolutely unbelievable,” Sununu said.
DeSantis, meanwhile, has received the endorsement of Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) and influential evangelical leader Bob Vander Plaats in the Hawkeye State. But in both Iowa and New Hampshire, DeSantis and Haley both trail Trump, raising questions about whether either candidate will be viable enough to topple Trump in the early states.