'Keeps blowing easy layups': Nikki Haley trolled after confusing Iowa's star basketball player Caitlin Clark with CNN anchor

CORALVILLE, IOWA: US presidential hopeful Nikki Haley recently became the subject of social media ridicule after mistakenly identifying University of Iowa's star basketball player, Caitlin Clark, as CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins in an unfortunate slip-up.

The error took place at a tailgating event in Coralville, just before the match between the Lady Hawkeyes and the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

Haley's attempt to laud the No. 4-ranked team backfired when she erroneously referred to point guard Clark as Collins, triggering a flurry of online mockery.

Nikki Haley confuses Caitlin Clark with Kaitlan Collins

Haley, recently subjected to mockery for not outright denying the prospect of becoming Trump’s VP, declared, "Caitlin Collins is phenomenal," seemingly mixing up the record-setting basketball player with CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins.

"What a team they are. What a great coach," Haley commented, as reported in a post by Tom Barton from the Gazette.

"Kaitlan Collins is phenomenal," she added. 

Haley's visit to Iowa precedes the state's Republican presidential caucus scheduled for January 15, with fellow candidates hustling to fit in last-minute campaign events in a bid to enhance their standings next month.

As per the RealClearPolitics poll average, Haley is currently ranked third in Iowa, garnering just 16.1% of the support, lagging behind former President Donald Trump at 51.3% and Ron DeSantis at 18.6%, per New York Post. 

CNN anchor's response to Nikki Haley's mix-up

Collins swiftly responded to the mix-up by the former South Carolina governor on X (formerly Twitter). 

"I can assure you her free-throw percentage is much better than mine," the CNN anchor humorously remarked about Clark.

The blunder on Saturday, December 30 occurred only a few days after Haley faced criticism for her remarks at a town hall in New Hampshire, where she neglected to acknowledge slavery as the main cause of the Civil War. 

Nikki Haley trolled after her mix-up

The internet has quickly trolled Nikki Haley after her confusion with the names. 

One user on X tweeted, "Way to endear yourself to Iowans. Haley keeps blowing the easy layups."

"This could cost Nikki Haley in Iowa more than blowing the softball slavery question," added another. 

"They were OK with her dismissal of slavery, but this is too much," stated another. 

One user wrote, "Haley must be a huge CNN fan."

Another user added, "Kamala Haley is just killing it on the campaign trail this week!"

One user joked, "Not to be confused with Nikki’s other favorite Collins, Tom."

"Haley finishing out the week as badly as the week has gone for her," mentioned another. 

Another person penned, "Nikki Haley proving every day that all that glitters is not gold."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.