DeSantis claims no ‘phonier politician than Tricky Nikki’ in latest attack ad

Republican presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis claimed that there is no politician phonier than fellow candidate Nikki Haley in his latest attack advertisement.

DeSantis posted a video on his DeSantis War Room account on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, targeting Haley, the former U.N. ambassador and former South Carolina Governor.

“Aside from Hillary Clinton, has there ever been a phonier politician than Tricky Nikki?” the post read.

The video accompanying the post showed clips of Haley apparently contradicting herself in past statements. It included Haley saying she would not run for president if former President Trump was running.

In the video, Haley said she would never support raising the gas tax. The next clip in the video showed Haley saying she would support increasing the gas tax by 10 cents over the next three years.

The video also included clips of Haley’s stance on social media, foreign relations with China, the United Nations funding and gender-affirming care for minors.

“Ron DeSantis is desperately recycling lies that have been debunked by fact checkers because he’s losing in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina,” a Haley campaign spokesperson said in an email. “It’s clear this is a two-person race between Nikki Haley and Donald Trump. DeSantis is just desperate for attention.”

Haley, who has been a target of both DeSantis and Trump during the Republican primary, has strengthened in polling as her campaign continues. She has seen a steady increase since August, largely due to several strong debate performances.

DeSantis has lost support from voters and internal turmoil is threatening to torpedo his campaign, just weeks before the vital Iowa caucuses, The Hill previously reported. He has grown increasingly critical of Haley as she surges in important polls including those conducted in New Hampshire.

On Tuesday, DeSantis launched a website accusing Haley of running for the White House just to become Trump’s pick for vice president. The “Trump-Nikki 2024” website lists Haley’s past comments that he argues show she wants to be Trump’s running mate.

According to The Hill’s partner, Decision Desk HQ, Trump currently leads nationally in primary polling with 63.9 percent support, while DeSantis has 11.1 percent and Haley trails closely behind with 10.4 percent.

–Updated on Dec. 22 at 7:47 a.m.