Former President Trump railed against GOP primary opponent Nikki Haley on Wednesday and warned that anyone who contributes to her campaign would be “permanently barred from the MAGA camp.”
“When I ran for Office and won, I noticed that the losing Candidate’s ‘Donors’ would immediately come to me, and want to ‘help out.’ This is standard in Politics, but no longer with me,” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform.
“Anybody that makes a ‘Contribution’ to Birdbrain, from this moment forth, will be permanently barred from the MAGA camp. We don’t want them, and will not accept them, because we Put America First, and ALWAYS WILL!” Trump continued, using the nickname “Birdbrain” to refer to Haley.
Trump’s direct threat against Haley’s supporters signals a sharpening in his rhetoric, as the former president seeks to compel support from all corners of the GOP.
Trump beat Haley in the New Hampshire primary Tuesday by 11 points — a significant edge over his former United Nations ambassador, but closer than his dominant lead in many polls in recent months.
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Trump attacked Haley in his victory speech Tuesday as he stood in front of two former primary opponents and pressured Haley to suspend her campaign.
“I have to tell you — it was very interesting, because I said, ‘Wow what a great victory,’ but then somebody ran up to the stage all dressed up nicely when it was at 7, but now I just walked up, and it was at 14,” Trump said, mocking Haley for the positive tone of her remarks to supporters after the race was called in his favor.
“Let’s not have somebody take a victory when she had a very bad night. She had a very bad night,” Trump said.
Later, he added that he couldn’t let his former United Nations ambassador “get away with bullshit.”
In recent weeks, Trump has managed to gain numerous high-profile endorsements, even from some lawmakers who had once criticized him as unfit for office.
Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) all recently endorsed Trump. He also secured endorsements from former GOP primary opponents, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, among others.
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