Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley called out ABC News Host Jonathan Karl for having an “obsession” with former President Donald Trump, following a question about Trump’s campaign theme.
Haley appeared in an exclusive interview alongside New Hampshire Republican Gov. Chris Sununu on ABC’s “This Week” to discuss her plans to gain voters’ confidence in the state. Following a question from Karl regarding Trump’s “running on retribution,” Haley pushed back stating that the media’s “obsession” with the former president has become “exhausting.” (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Nikki Haley Takes Aim At Ron DeSantis Over Social Security In New 2024 Ad)
“I mean he’s running on retribution. He wants to go out. And he talks about annihilating his enemies and using the criminal justice system to do so. What do you think of that?” Karl asked.
“You guys are exhausting. You’re exhausting in your obsession with him. The thing is, the normal people aren’t obsessed with Trump like you guys are. The normal people care about the fact that they can’t afford things, they feel like their freedoms are being taken away. They think government’s too big,” Haley stated.
“I know y’all want to talk about every single word he says and every single tweet he does. That’s exactly why we need a new generational leader because people don’t want to hear about every word a person says or every tweet. They want to know how you fought for them that day, and they want to know how their life is going to be different. And life would be a whole lot different if the media would stop this obsession with Trump.”
Karl, however, pushed back against the former South Carolina governor stating that he asked the question because Trump is the “leading candidate” she’s running against.
“I mean, I was just asking you about his central campaign theme, which is I want– you know, ‘I am your retribution.’ And he’s winning in the polls. That’s why I’m asking, it’s not an obsession. I’m asking about the leading candidate you’re running against” Karl stated.
Sununu quickly jumped in, honing in on Trump’s talking points, claiming that the former president doesn’t talk about the “issues” he promised because he would then have to “own those failures.” Haley also continued to note that if Karl wanted to talk about Trump, then he should ask him about getting on a “debate stage” in Iowa or New Hampshire. (RELATED: ‘It Would Never Happen!’: Fox Host Throws Cold Water On Steve Doocy’s Claim That Haley Would Run Third Party)
“Well, if I could – he does everything he can not to talk about issues. He almost acts like he wasn’t there, right? He doesn’t want to talk about building the wall and securing the southern border because he didn’t do it. He doesn’t want to talk about fiscal responsibility because he made a hard promise that he would do it in that debate. ‘I’m going to be the most fiscally responsible president this country’s ever seen,’ he said,” Sununu stated.
“Didn’t even try to balance the budget. And you know, the thing that for someone in New Hampshire, where, you know, it’s not about big government, we love the idea that he was going to drain the swamp. That was an amazing opportunity. Didn’t even try. I mean, literally didn’t even try. So if he talks about those issues, he has to kind of own those failures. So he’s always going to talk about retribution and just kind of trying to spur something up.”
“And if you want to talk about Trump – if you really want to talk about Trump, why don’t you go ask him if he’s gonna get on a debate stage in Iowa, where Iowa’s voting. Why don’t you go ask him if he’s gonna get on a debate stage in New Hampshire, where Granite Staters are voting. That’s what you should be asking as the media,” Haley stated.
Sununu endorsed Haley for the 2024 GOP primary candidate Dec. 12 during a New Hampshire town hall, praising her efforts within the state. While the former South Carolina governor has been gaining in the New Hampshire polls, she currently sits at 29 percent in second place about 15 points behind Trump, according to a CBS News poll.