Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul launched NeverNikki.net on Friday
Nikki Haley: We're going to be strong in Iowa
GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley tells 'One Nation' Iowans will show out for the caucuses despite the freezing weather.
Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley isn't fazed by Sen. Rand Paul's "Never Nikki" pledge and says she was never looking to have the Kentucky Republican in her corner as the campaign trail to crucial states like Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina heats up.
"I don't think any informed or knowledgeable Libertarian or conservative should support Nikki Haley," he said, citing her "attitude" toward U.S. interventions overseas and her alleged "involvement" with the military industrial complex, among others.
Haley, responding to Paul's jabs on Saturday, told Fox News' Brian Kilmeade she isn't taking the criticism personally, saying her opponents can continue to "play games" as they choose.
NIKKI HALEY GETS MORE FAVORABLE COVERAGE THAN OTHER GOP CANDIDATES FROM ABC, NBC, CBS: STUDY
Republican presidential candidate former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley speaks to guests during a campaign stop at Wildwood Smokehouse on July 29, 2023 in Iowa City, Iowa. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
"At the end of the day, we're going to keep talking to people about how we're going to get inflation down, how we're going to get our kids reading again, how we're going to secure the border once and for all, how we're going to bring law and order back to our country, and how we're going to have an America that is strong," she said.
"Rand Paul would be fine if we just sat in our bubble in the United States," she continued.
"We have to prevent war and prevent terrorist attacks and prevent those that want to hurt us. He doesn't want to do that. We disagree on that. That's his opinion. I have mine, but I really never was asking for Rand Paul's support, so I'm very okay with that."
RAND PAUL DECLARES HE IS ‘NEVER NIKKI,' WEIGHS IN ON 2024 PRESIDENTIAL RACE
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said he has not made a first choice for the GOP primary race, but declared he is ‘Never Nikki.’ (Greg Nash-Pool/Getty Images)
Paul, meanwhile, said he likes aspects of all other GOP candidates - and even agrees with some of what Independent candidate RFK Jr. brings to the table - but has yet to declare his first choice.
"But I do know one thing: count me in as Never Nikki," he said.
JUDGE JUDY ENDORSES NIKKI HALEY FOR PRESIDENT: ‘SHE IS WHIP SMART… SHE IS THE FUTURE’
Haley is also taking jabs from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who continues to duke it out with her in the fight for second place behind former President Donald Trump. Ahead of key primary races slated to shape the GOP race, DeSantis alleged Haley is "out of step" with her home state of South Carolina.
"I've got like five times more endorsements from state legislators, current and former, than she does. That would be unthinkable for the opposite to happen in a place like Florida," he said Friday on "The Ingraham Angle."
Haley, firing back, said state officials aren't fans of hers because she fought for the taxpayers instead.
"That's because I pushed the legislature, instead of voice votes, that they had to start showing their votes on the record, so taxpayers could see it. I made them show their votes on every section of the budget. I made them pass ethics reform. I created transparency, so, no, elected officials in the state House did not like me because I fought for the taxpayers. I didn't fight for them, so he can have all those endorsements if he wants. That's fine.
"I welcome him to South Carolina. South Carolina is a great state. I'm very proud of South Carolina, and if that's where he chooses to go, he is more than welcome."
Taylor Penley is an associate editor with Fox News.
