Democrats and supporters of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis criticized former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley on Wednesday after she refused to name slavery as the root cause of the Civil War.
Haley, 51, made the apparent gaffe during a town hall event in Berlin, New Hampshire, after a voter asked the former United Nations ambassador to identify the cause of the deadliest war in history. from the United States.
The White House candidate seemed surprised by the question and did not mention the “peculiar institution” of the antebellum South in her response.
“I think the cause of the Civil War was basically how the government was going to function,” Haley said. “The freedoms and what people could and couldn’t do.”
“I think it always comes down to the role of government and what the rights of the people are,” Haley continued. “And I will always stand by the fact that I believe the goal of the government was to guarantee the rights and freedoms of the people.”
He continued his long-winded response by going on a tangent about capitalism and First Amendment rights.
A New Hampshire voter asked Nikki Haley about the cause of the Civil War and she didn’t mention slavery. Kaitlan Collins/X
“He was never intended to be all things to all people,” the Republican presidential candidate continued. “The government doesn’t need to tell you how to live your life. You don’t need to be told what you can and can’t do. They don’t need to be part of your life. They need to make sure you have freedom.
“We need to have capitalism. We need to have economic freedom. “We need to make sure we do everything we can so that people have freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to do or be whatever they want without the government getting in their way.”
The person who asked the candidate the question responded that it was “amazing” to hear her answer “without mentioning the word slavery.”
Nikki Haley said that “the cause of the Civil War was basically how the government was going to work.” Kaitlan Collins/X
“What do you want me to say about slavery? Next question,” Haley responded.
President Biden’s X Account shared a video of Haley’s town hall moment and tweeted, “It was about slavery.”
Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison tweeted that Haley’s response was “not surprising if you were a black resident in [South Carolina] when she was governor.”
“The same person who said the Confederate flag was about tradition and heritage and, as a minority woman, was the right person to advocate for keeping it on the House grounds. Maybe some have forgotten but I haven’t. “It’s time to take off your rose-colored Nikki Haley glasses,” she added.
“I’m sorry, [Haley]. The Civil War had to do with slavery. Period,” tweeted Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.), who is running for the Democratic nomination for president.
Christina Pushaw, DeSantis’ rapid response coordinator, mocked Haley’s convoluted response, describing it as a “Civil War word salad.”
The person who asked the question responded that it was “amazing” to hear Nikki Haley’s response “without mentioning the word slavery.” Kaitlan Collins/X
Pushaw also accused “conservative media personalities” of ignoring her response in an effort “not to make her look stupid with her own words.”
DeSantis’ press secretary, Bryan Griffith, characterized the moment as “a giant disaster of her own making.”
Haley’s campaign did not immediately respond to the Post’s request for comment.
A RealClearPolitics polling average places Haley in second place in New Hampshire, trailing former President Donald Trump by 21.5 points.
The Granite State primary will take place on January 23.
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