'No one likes you': Nikki Haley's dig at Whoopi Goldberg saying she 'doesn't care to impress' co-hosts of 'The View' backfires

CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA: Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley found herself in the crosshairs of criticism from the hosts of ABC’s 'The View' this week, prompting a robust defense from the former governor of South Carolina and former United Nations ambassador.

During a segment on Monday's episode of 'The View', co-host Whoopi Goldberg questioned Haley's accomplishments, prompting a fiery response from Haley in a subsequent interview on Fox News's 'Democracy 2024'.

Haley's retort

Goldberg asked, "Nikki, what have you done?" prompting Haley to enumerate her achievements, highlighting her tenure as governor and UN ambassador.

Haley's response on Fox News's 'Democracy 2024' included a direct rebuttal to Goldberg's remarks. She asserted, “Well, I’ve done quite a bit. I will tell you as governor, we accomplished a lot. As the U.N. ambassador, we accomplished a lot. I did. A whole lot more than Whoopi Goldberg will ever do. And it is not the ladies on ‘The View’ that I ever care to impress."

In response to criticism from other co-hosts, including Sunny Hostin and Ana Navarro, Haley remained steadfast, asserting that she is focused on her campaign rather than the opinions of 'The View' hosts.

She even penned a social media post reiterating this sentiment, saying she is “not worried about what the political or media class thinks of me, and that includes Whoopi Goldberg.”

Social media backlash

However, the post seemed to backfire, drawing further criticism from some quarters.

"I don't think you care what the majority of Americans think of you either. WE DONT WANT YOU for president!!!" one posted on X.

"For once, I agree with Whoopi Goldberg," another wrote.

"I've never agreed with Whoopi about anything... Look at you bringing people together!" someone else quipped.

"It’s not just Whoopi, no one likes you. End your campaign now," a comment read.

"Nikki Haley should worry about what South Carolina thinks about her. She’s down over 30 points there and that’s her home state. Seems like SC thinks the same as the rest of the country — that Haley should end her pointless campaign," another offered.

Previous clashes

Having said that, this recent exchange is not the first time Haley has clashed with Goldberg. Last year, Goldberg criticized Haley's calls for 'a new generation of Republican leadership', pointing out the irony given Haley's own age.

In her campaign ads, Haley declared, “The Washington establishment has failed us over and over and over again. It’s time for a new generation of leadership.” The idea of “a new generation” is one she’s often promulgated, possibly a dig at the ages of President Joe Biden, and presumably, former President Donald Trump.

“You’re not a new generation, you’re 51,” Whoopi said in response to the ads. “What are you talking about?"

Similarly, Goldberg challenged Haley's assertion that America has 'never been a racist country', citing historical injustices against Black Americans. “Black folks didn’t climb up in the trees and lynch themselves,” Goldberg said at the top of an episode last month. “Emmett Till did not do that to himself.”

As Haley seeks to gain momentum ahead of the primary in South Carolina, she faces an uphill battle against Trump's significant lead in the polls. Haley is trailing Trump by nearly 33 percentage points in South Carolina, per The Hill/Decision Desk HQ’s polling average.

She is determined to stay in the race - despite losing early primary and caucus states - through Super Tuesday next month, when 15 states and American Samoa will head to the polls for primary races, per The Hill.