Nikki Haley on Capitol riot: Trump ‘badly wrong with his words’

Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley condemned President Trump in a speech to Republican National Committee members Thursday, calling his word choice as rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday “badly wrong,” Politico reports.

“President Trump has not always chosen the right words,” Haley, who served under Trump, said during her remarks. “He was wrong with his words in Charlottesville, and I told him so at the time. He was badly wrong with his words yesterday.”

The former South Carolina governor said the president’s consistent efforts to undermine the election results will be frowned upon in the future.

“And it wasn’t just his words,” she added. “His actions since Election Day will be judged harshly by history.”

Haley, considered to be among the top potential Republican nominees for the 2024 presidential race, also urged the GOP to take responsibility for its part in the events that unfolded on Jan. 6 and help promote peace.

“If we are the party of personal responsibility, we need to take personal responsibility,” she said, according to Politico. “We can and should talk about our major differences. But we must stop turning the American people against each other — and this Republican Party must lead the way.”

Haley is the latest Republican to implicate Trump for his role in inciting the riots in the nation’s capital that left multiple people dead and dozens injured. Rep. Adam Kinzinger (Ill.) remains the sole Republican lawmaker to call for Trump to be removed from office via the 25th Amendment, however.