'Time to hang it up': Nikki Haley slammed for claiming she is last hope to end 'Trump-Biden nightmare'

DES MOINES, IOWA: Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley, in the aftermath of her third-place finish in the Iowa caucuses, declared herself the "last best hope" to thwart a Trump-Biden rematch.

Despite narrowly missing the second spot to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, the former UN ambassador insisted that her trajectory in the upcoming primaries positioned her as the more formidable GOP candidate against former president Donald Trump.

Nikki Haley rallies support in Iowa

Addressing a fervent crowd at the West Des Moines Marriott on Monday night, January 15, Nikki Haley declared, "The pundits will analyze the results from every angle, we get that. But when you look at how we're doing in New Hampshire, in South Carolina, and beyond, I can safely say tonight, I will make this Republican primary a two-person race."

She took a direct aim at Trump, drawing parallels with President Joe Biden, both of whom she accused of burdening the nation with trillions in debt.

"Trump and Biden both put our country trillions of dollars in debt and our kids will. never forgive them for it," she said. "Trump and Biden both lack a vision for our country's future because both are consumed by the past by investigations, by vendettas by grievances," she continued, before adding, "America deserves better."

Despite acknowledging having voted for Trump twice in the past, she contended, "Seventy percent of Americans don't want another Trump-Biden rematch," positioning her campaign as the "last best hope" to avert what she called the "Trump-Biden nightmare."

The former governor of South Carolina backed her claims with polling data, pointing to a CBS/YouGov poll released on January 14. The poll indicated Haley beating Biden by eight points, outperforming both DeSantis and Trump.

"We win in a landslide, it's not even close," Haley said, adding, "That means no recounts, no lawsuits, and no doubts."

The path ahead, however, is not without challenges. Haley faces a formidable task in overcoming Trump's lead in New Hampshire, where the Real Clear Politics polling average shows him ahead by an average of 14.2 points.

Undeterred, Haley announced her plans to head to the Granite State on January 16, determined to close the gap before the January 23 primary.

The campaign trail unveiled both support and skepticism.

Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, who exited the race, acknowledged that about half of his supporters considered Haley as their second choice.

However, Christie, caught on a hot mic, expressed doubt, stating she would be "smoked" by Trump and asserting, "She's not up to this."

In response, Haley issued a spirited warning to her supporters. "As we head to New Hampshire I have one more thing to say. Underestimate me, because that's always fun," she said, before adding, "I love you Iowa, but we're onto New Hampshire." 

Nikki Haley faces social media backlash after Iowa caucuses

While Nikky Haley remains optimistic, many users on social media have expressed disdain at the prospect of her winning the GOP nomination.

"I don’t want 4 years of her," one posted on X (formerly Twitter).

"And 80% of Iowa didn't want her. Time to hang it up," another wrote.

"99.9% don't want her and they think Biden is a puppet," someone else insisted.

"I more suspect it’s the Trump–Biden rematch that EVERYBODY wants," another added.

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