Haley attacks Biden and Trump in ‘grumpy old men’ campaign
Nikki Haley has launched an advertising campaign that casts Donald Trump and Joe Biden as “grumpy old men” who are too senile to run the country.
The 2024 Republican hopeful has become increasingly critical of Mr Trump, the only other serious candidate in the GOP primary, and argues that voters “don’t want a rematch” between him and Mr Biden in November.
Her latest campaign, reported on Tuesday by The New York Times, will deploy a series of advertisements that describe both men as “stumbling seniors” and “basement buddies”.
Mrs Haley, 52, is 25 years younger than Mr Trump and almost 30 years younger than Mr Biden. She has argued for mental competency tests for politicians over the age of 75 and described the US Senate as “the most privileged nursing home in the country”.
The former South Carolina governor is hoping to rescue her campaign in her home state next month, after trailing Mr Trump in both of the first primaries in Iowa and New Hampshire.
Polls show the former president leads her by 72 per cent to 17 per cent among Republicans nationwide, and by 66 per cent to 32 per cent in South Carolina alone.
Mrs Haley’s pitch, claiming she is a “new generational leader” who stands a better chance of beating Mr Biden than Mr Trump does, has seen her stock rise among Republican members.
However, her campaign has not closed the gap between her and Mr Trump enough for her to be a likely contender for the nomination this summer, the polls suggest.
Ron DeSantis, who was previously in second place in the national polls, withdrew from the primary race after a worse-than-expected performance in Iowa in January. Mr Trump won more than 50 per cent of the vote in both Iowa and New Hampshire.
Mrs Haley has been cautious to avoid disrespecting elderly people in general – who make up a significant chunk of the party faithful – arguing that Mr Biden in particular is unfit for office.
She has suggested he would die before the end of his second term and be replaced by Kamala Harris, the vice-president.
“We all know 75-year-olds that can run circles around us, and then we know Joe Biden,” Mrs Haley often says in her campaign rallies.
