Donald Trump’s campaign is purchasing commercials criticizing Nikki Haley on MSNBC and other television networks that reach leftists in New Hampshire, hoping to discourage the state’s big number of “undeclared” independent voters from supporting the former South Carolina governor. “Haley’s plan cuts Social Security benefits for 82% of Americans,” the advertisement’s narrator says over images of varied, worried-looking people. “Trump will never let that happen.” Trump aide Chris LaCivita told Semafor on Saturday that the topic benefits Trump among a broad range of supporters. “The vast majority of Americans want their Social Security and Medicare benefits preserved: Not just Republicans, not just Democrats, but independents,” he went on to say.
Haley has advocated raising the retirement age for younger workers but claims those reaching the existing retirement age will be unaffected by her proposed changes, which the ad does not mention. “We go to people like my kids in their twenties when they’re coming into the system, and we say the rules have changed,” she stated a few years ago. When asked to comment on Team Trump’s plan, Haley’s campaign dismissed the ad. Olivia Perez-Cubas, Haley’s spokesperson, said it demonstrates Trump’s “fear of Nikki Haley’s rise.” “This is a two-person race between Nikki’s conservative vision for a strong and proud America and Trump’s continued obsession with the chaos and drama of the past,” Perez-Cubas said in a statement.
Haley has risen in the polls in New Hampshire in recent months
Haley has risen in the polls in New Hampshire in recent months, with the most recent Five Thirty-Eight average putting her at 30%, compared to Trump’s 41.4%. Trump’s staff remains publicly optimistic that he will win the state, but they have increased their attacks on Haley as her campaign has gathered momentum. On the right, Trump and his team have targeted Haley on immigration, including a separate commercial released last week that attempts to link her ideas to those of President Joe Biden.
However, New Hampshire, where Republicans will vote on January 23, has a unique political terrain, with a high proportion of independent voters eligible to vote in either primary. Those “undeclared” voters have the potential to tilt the contest in favour of a more moderate candidate, and they have bolstered Haley’s polling numbers. While New Hampshire independents are opposed to Trump, they may also object to Haley’s entitlement proposals. A Quinnipiac poll conducted last year revealed that roughly 80% of voters oppose extending the retirement age to 70. A Trump-aligned super PAC is also sending letters to undeclared voters in the state, claiming that Haley is a “big supporter of Trump’s MAGA agenda.” Trump’s widely reported attack on Ron DeSantis as “Pudding Fingers” was directed at DeSantis’ stance on Social Security. Last year, Trump advised House Republicans not to reduce entitlements, highlighting a significant divide between MAGA politics and the party’s small-government history.
