'Will never buck his master': Tim Scott trolled for shrugging off Trump's birther attacks on Nikki Haley

WASHINGTON, DC: Senator Tim Scott said on Sunday that Republican presidential contender Nikki Haley's rhetoric has been even worse after brushing off former President Donald Trump's scathing criticism of her amid a bitter GOP campaign.

Fox News anchor Shannon Bream questioned Scott over Trump's promotion of birth conspiracies, implying that Haley, 52, would not be able to run, raising concerns about her deployed husband's whereabouts, and referring to her as having "Bird brain."

Tim Scott calls Nikki Haley's rhetoric as 'worse'

Talking to Fox News, Scott said, "We see the Haley camp and the family referring to me as Judas Iscariot. We’re hearing a lot of chatter out of the Haley camp, not only just matching the rhetoric from the Trump side, but actually going further."

During a rally earlier this month, Haley's son Nalin called Scott, 58, "Senator Judas – excuse me, Senator Scott." That jab was a reference to how, in 2013, while she was the governor of the Palmetto State, Haley selected him to fill a Senate seat.

After withdrawing from the 2024 election in November of last year, Scott supported Trump in January of 2024. He is thought to be vying to be Trump's vice presidential choice.

Scott added, "I’m not sure what Nikki’s doing right now. I think she’s desperate without question. There’s not a state coming up that she can win. Even in New Hampshire, she lost women voters to Donald Trump. She lost millennials to Donald Trump. She lost seniors to Donald Trump."

Scott predicts Trump will sweep South Carolina

Scott went on to predict that Trump will win the primary in South Carolina, his home state, on February 24. The senator made appearances on many prominent shows on Sunday morning and offered his opinions on many contentious issues.

When questioned about what he thought the vice president's duty should be on the day of the Electoral College vote count during a joint session of Congress, Scott played it cool on CBS's 'Face the Nation'.

"Here’s what I’m not going to do is answer questions that are hypothetical about the past. The constitution is very clear," Scott replied.

The Republican from South Carolina also sidestepped a query over whether Trump's rising legal expenses need to be covered by the Republican National Committee.

He said, "The American people are more focused on their future than Donald Trump’s past."

Internet slams Tim Scott for his statement

Tim Scott was slammed by several internet users on social media platform X for his statement. A user wrote, "Tom Scott will never buck his master!" while another added, "Lol Haley is somewhat annoying Trump and I love that for her."

Another user added, "Tim Scott better be careful. Not sure how much information he wants circulating about his "girlfriend." Or maybe this is Tim following orders so people don't find out more?" whereas one mentioned, "Tim Scott is an embarrassment."

Another person said, "Looks like Tim’s totally real girlfriend will have to show up again when there’s backlash on this."