Nikki Haley Accuses Trump Of Empowering Putin
WASHINGTON DC (ANI) – Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley slammed former President Donald Trump over his recent comments on NATO and accused him of ’empowering’ Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“When you hear Donald Trump say in South Carolina a week ago that he would encourage Putin to invade our allies if they weren’t pulling their weight, that’s bone-chilling because all he did in that one moment was empower Putin,” Haley said on February 19 on ABC’s ‘This Week.’
Haley’s remarks came after Trump said on February 10 that he would encourage Russia to do “whatever the hell they want” to any NATO member country that doesn’t meet spending guidelines on defense.
This was a stunning admission that he would not abide by the collective defense clause at the heart of the alliance if re-elected.
Haley’s comments followed the death of Russian opposition leader and outspoken Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny while in prison. The news has drawn forceful reactions from Western leaders, including President Joe Biden, who pinned the blame on Putin, saying that “what has happened to Navalny is yet more proof of Putin’s brutality.”
Trump has declined to address Navalny’s death directly. On being asked, the Trump campaign pointed to a post on Truth Social from the former president that did not mention Navalny or Putin and instead bashed Biden and asserted, “America is no longer respected.”
Haley continued to pile on the criticism of Trump and his supposed support for Putin. “He sided with a guy that kills his political opponents. He sided with a thug who arrested American journalists and held them hostage, and he sided with a guy who wanted to make a point to the Russian people, ‘Don’t challenge me in the next election or this will happen to you too,'” Haley said.
The former UN ambassador also highlighted Trump’s recent legal woes.
Trump has been fined $355 million in his New York civil fraud trial. He is now selling shoes with his name on it. Critics say it is one more way of him bilking his supporters to pay for his legal fees.
Daljit (Dean)Singh
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Nikki Haley must stay in the race regardless of the outcomes in South Carolina and Michigan primaries. There is a long time between now and the general elections, almost 9 months, that would give enough time for the leading Republican candidate to shoot his foot several times. As it stands now, he has shot his foot so often that there are hardly any bones left in the foot to stand on. In the meantime, the Republican MAGA elite is bound to drink “Cool Aid” and make another attempt at the favorite theme “Stop the Steal,” while facing the courts and the steel bars.
February 20, 2024Pradeep Srivastava
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““When you hear Donald Trump say in South Carolina a week ago that he would encourage Putin to invade our allies if they weren’t pulling their weight, that’s bone-chilling because all he did in that one moment was empower Putin,” Haley said on February 19 on ABC’s ‘This Week.’
Haley’s remarks came after Trump said on February 10 that he would encourage Russia to do “whatever the hell they want” to any NATO member country that doesn’t meet spending guidelines on defense.“
First of all, it’s refreshing to see a Republican (Haley) pointing out that the “‘emperor (read Trump) has no clothes on”, figuratively speaking. That sounds several times more credible than a Democratic politician saying the same thing.
Second of all, I admire Haley for being persistent in criticizing Trump, while other critics like Chris Christie, Romney, and Liz Cheney are relatively quiet. Every sane person can understand the threats posed by Trump to the democratic form of government, not only nationally but also globally, as well as threats posed by him to national and global security.
It is indeed bone-chilling to learn that Trump “would encourage Russia to do “whatever the hell they want” to any NATO member country that doesn’t meet spending guidelines on defense.“” How is that different from telling a burglar to rob a person because he didn’t contribute enough to the burglar alarm system of a community of residents? Siding with Putin is no different from siding with a burglar because NATO is akin to a community burglar alarm system.
“Trump has declined to address Navalny’s death directly. On being asked, the Trump campaign pointed to a post on Truth Social from the former president that did not mention Navalny or Putin and instead bashed Biden and asserted, “America is no longer respected.””
In a sense, Trump is right when he says that “America is no longer respected”, considering that an autocratic guy like Trump, who loves and envies dictators, was elected a president in 2016 and while he was defeated in 2020, he has a shot at becoming a president again in 2024, God forbid. Considering that America is the oldest democracy in the world and serves as a beacon of freedom and democracy to the world, it would be indeed shameful if Trump wins again in 2024. I can understand his winning in 2016 because people just didn’t know him well enough but if he wins in 2024 despite his lack of knowledge, character flaws, and legal issues, then we have no one to blame but ourselves. “ As the saying goes, “fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.”
February 20, 2024