BURSTFormer U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley went after former President Trump for his attack on her heritage, saying they come from a place of insecurity and provides proof that she threatens his candidacy.
Trump has repeatedly attacked Haley over her Indian heritage, misstating her name and even implying that she can’t be president because her parents were immigrants. The remarks have drawn comparisons to Trump’s “birther” attacks on former President Obama during the 2012 election cycle.
Haley said she’s not hurt by the remarks.
“I laugh every time I see one of his tweets, every time I see him throw a temper tantrum, because I know Donald Trump very well,” Haley said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday. “When he feels insecure, he starts to rail. He starts to rant. He starts to flail his arms, and he starts to get upset.”
“When he feels threatened, he starts to throw all kinds of things out there,” she continued. “I would always tell him he was his own worst enemy. He's proving that right now. He proved it in the fact that he continues to be chaotic. Those things don't hurt my feelings. This is not personal for me. What is personal for me is getting America back on track.”
Haley also refused to say whether she considers the attacks to be racist.
“I think that's for everybody else to decide,” she said. “The fact that he continues to go down these paths of saying things, is this who we want as a president? Is this who we want our kids to see? I don't think so.”
“Look, he's just going to become more unhinged,” she continued. “Hold on. It's going to get worse, because that's what he does when he feels like he's not in control.”
The former South Carolina governor has doubled down on attacks against Trump in recent weeks as she hopes a Palmetto State primary victory next month can keep her White House hopes alive.
Trump resoundingly defeated his primary opponents in the Iowa caucus this month and beat Haley by 11 points in New Hampshire last week. In polling of the South Carolina race, Trump has a 31 point lead, according to The Hill/Decision Desk HQ average of polls.