Tuesday evening’s State of the Union address shone a spotlight upon the poker-faced Paul Ryan as he listened to President Obama note his hopes for the future on gun control, climate change, and an eventual cure for cancer. A big highlight took place after Obama left the Senate chamber, and South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley delivered the Republican rebuttal.
Haley, the daughter of Indian immigrants, urged the U.S. to never stop accepting “properly vetted legal immigrants, regardless of their race or religion.” She stressed the importance of how the U.S. is a country largely made up of immigrants, which has been ongoing “for centuries.” Haley also directed this passage at a few GOP politicans:
“Today, we live in a time of threats like few others in recent memory. During anxious times, it can be tempting to follow the siren call of the angriest voices. We must resist that temptation.”
Naturally, folks assumed Haley was speaking directly toward Donald Trump. Perhaps a little bit of Ted Cruz, but definitely Trump. On Wednesday morning’s episode of Today, Haley confirmed that she was certainly talking about Trump, who can seem pretty darn angry at times: “Mr. Trump has definitely contributed to what I think is just irresponsible talk.”
Was @NikkiHaley referring to @RealDonaldTrump in her Republican Response to #SOTU? Watch what she told @MLauer: https://t.co/2xQll62HlD
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) January 13, 2016
This morning, Trump popped over to Fox and Friends to denounce Obama’s speech, but he also addressed Haley as a “weak” politician who “has asked me for a hell of a lot of money.” Trump said that if he wasn’t running for president, Haley would be in his office right now begging for contributions, so he finds her words “interesting.”
Trump also visited MSNBC Live with Thomas Roberts to point out how he’s leading in South Carolina, so no one should listen to Haley (who is “very, very weak on illegal immigration”). Then he talked about money again:
“I mean, she comes up to my office when she wants campaign contributions and I’ve given her tremendous contributions over the years. But I guess now that I’m running, she doesn’t like me quite as much. She liked me better when I was a giver of contributions than she does when I’m not.
Trump added that Haley doesn’t serve the people well enough in South Carolina, and the state’s citizens like him better because of his immigration stance. He still concedes that Haley is a “nice and good woman,” which is progress for a guy who usually comments upon women’s bodily functions.