‘Trump Without the Charm’: Haley Campaign Excoriates DeSantis in Savage 3-Page Memo
L: AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta C: Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette via AP, File R: AP Photo/Lynne Sladky
Nikki Haley’s campaign doubled down on its strategy of targeting perennial GOP presidential primary polling runner-up Ron DeSantis on Tuesday, releasing a savage 3-page memo outlining what it perceives to be the weaknesses of his candidacy.
“Let’s play a game called, ‘Is it Trump or is it DeSantis?'” wrote campaign manager Betsy Ankney before citing reporting about DeSantis’s reportedly prickly personality among other alleged faults. “Leaks, abuse of power, drama, and petty political fights. You’d think these are headlines you might have seen during the Trump administration,” she continued, lambasting the Florida governor’s campaign as “far more disorganized” than Trump’s. “His petty feuds aren’t even ‘winning’ either. Last week, the Walt Disney Company canceled plans to bring more than 2,000 jobs to Florida over its ongoing litigation with DeSantis.”
“The DeSantis elevator pitch can be summed up as: ‘I’m like Trump without the drama,'” submitted Ankney before later concluding that “Ron DeSantis is like Trump, drama and all – but without any of the charm.”
“The glaring difference between the two is DeSantis’ inability to interact directly with voters,” she asserted.
Haley has persistently launched direct broadsides against DeSantis since entering the primary field in February, repeating Trump’s characterization of the Florida governor as “sanctimonious” while also castigating him for copying Trump. DeSantis is expected to announce his candidacy on Wednesday.
While Haley has leveled soft critiques of Trump, she has been loath to take off the kids gloves with her old boss, even giving him a free pass after a Manhattan jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll earlier this month.
“I’m not going to get into that. That’s something for Trump to respond to,” Haley told radio host Hugh Hewitt the day after the verdict was handed down.
Haley originally said she would not run in 2024 if Trump sought to reprise his role atop the Republican ticket. “I would not run if President Trump ran, and I would talk to him about it,” declared Haley in April 2021.
