WATCH: Nikki Haley Amps Up Her Trump Siding With ‘Thug’ Putin Attack Line in Heated Rally Screed

(AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley pulled no punches Monday in slamming former President Donald Trump over his recent rhetoric surrounding Russia and Vladimir Putin.

“You’ve got Donald Trump, who said on a stage in Conway that not only would he not defend NATO countries that didn’t pull their weight, but that he would encourage Putin to invade the countries if they didn’t pull their weight. Now, keep in mind that means Trump is siding with a thug where half a million have been wounded or murdered because Putin invaded Ukraine,” Haley said while campaigning in South Carolina.

“He sided with a dictator who kills his political opponents,” she continued, referring to Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny being killed last week.

“He sided with a tyrant who’s made no bones about wanting to destroy America,” she continued, referring to Putin.

“And you’re going to side with something like that over the allies who stood with us at 9/11. What are we doing? We all want them to pull their weight without question. But you don’t go and put our allies in harm’s way and our military who are serving over there right now in harm’s way. And what’s Putin’s response now? He’s putting forces around the Baltic countries. And guess what he said once he takes Ukraine, Poland, and the Baltics are next, those are NATO countries. And that puts America at war. We are trying to prevent war, and we should always try and prevent war,” Haley concluded to applause.

Watch the clip above.

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