Former South Carolina Gov Nikki Haley vows to stay in the race no matter the outcome of Saturday's primary in her home state
Lara Trump unleashes on Haley amid RNC feud, refusal to drop out of GOP race: 'embarrassing'
In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital at a campaign stop in North Charleston on Wednesday, Trump said Haley's stubbornness "doesn't make a lot of sense," and that donors were the ones "obviously keeping her campaign alive."
CHARLESTON, S.C. – FIRST ON FOX: Lara Trump, the daughter-in-law of former President Trump and candidate for Republican National Committee (RNC) co-chair, went off on presidential candidate Nikki Haley, blasting her vow to remain in the race no matter the outcome of Saturday's South Carolina primary.
In an interview with Fox News Digital at a campaign stop in North Charleston on Wednesday, Trump said Haley's stubbornness "doesn't make a lot of sense," and that donors were the ones "obviously keeping her campaign alive."
Trump's comments come just days after she received criticism from Haley for saying "every single penny" of RNC funds should go toward former President Trump's re-election. "We don't anoint kings in America," Haley said.
Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, left, and Lara Trump, former President Trump's daughter-in-law. (Getty Images)
"At a certain point, you have to ask yourself when it's obvious that Nikki Haley will not be the Republican nominee — there really is no path to that for her at this point — then why stay in a race? Why fight against the Republican nominee, the person who is leading the party?" Trump told Fox.
She suggested the only plausible explanation was that Haley is banking on former President Trump's legal woes hindering his presidential run, something she said would be the "least Democratic, least American thing" that could ultimately happen.
"I will say that any person who is not standing up and fighting back in the face of that, calling it out for exactly what it is — election interference — should not be running for President of the United States," Trump said.
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Former President Trump gestures to a crowd in North Charleston, South Carolina. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
"So why she is still in this race I think is unknown to a lot of people. It's time for Nikki to suspend her campaign and come on Team Trump and let's head towards November collected and facing Joe Biden so that we can win the White House," she added.
When pressed on how former President Trump would handle a protracted primary race with Haley, Trump dismissed the notion her father-in-law "has anything to worry about."
"She's about to likely lose in a very embarrassing way, her own home state of South Carolina," she said. "I think Donald Trump has turned his focus to the actual person we should all be focusing on, which is Joe Biden. That is who we need to beat in November."
Lara Trump, the daughter-in-law of former President Trump, speaks to the media following a rally in North Charleston, South Carolina, on Feb. 21, 2024. (Brandon Gillespie/Fox News)
"If she wants to stay in this race and drain people's money and fight against him, that's her own prerogative. But I think the American people are focused on what we need to do to take this country back in November," she added.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Haley's campaign for comment.
According to a Suffolk University/USA Today survey of South Carolina voters released Tuesday, Trump holds a commanding 63% support compared to Haley's 35%.
Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Brandon Gillespie is an associate editor at Fox News. Follow him on X at @BGillespieAL.
