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Former South Carolina governor and candidate for the 2024 Republican Party presidential primaries, Nimarata Nikki Haley, came under harsh criticism for her comments regarding the cause of the civil war. During a town hall on Wednesday, December 27, in Berlin, New Hampshire, Haley was asked what caused the Civil War, and in her answer, she left slavery completely out of the equation.
When confronted by the person who asked the question for not mentioning slavery, she bluntly asked the voter what he wanted her to say about slavery before moving on. Haley's sentiments did not echo well with the online crowd who criticized the Republican for her alleged ignorance and tried to appeal to Trump supporters. One X user commented:
Nikki Haley slammed by Netizens for omitting slavery as a Civil War cause
During a Berlin, New Hampshire town hall on Wednesday, a New Hampshire voter asked potential Republican 2024 presidential candidate Nikki Haley:
"What was the cause of the United States Civil War?"
Haley smiled and walked to and fro, holding the microphone before making a sly remark:
"Well, don't come with an easy question or anything."
She answered:
"I think the cause of the Civil War was basically how government was going to run, the freedoms in what people could and couldn't do,"
She then asked the questioner what he thought the cause of the Civil War was, to which he replied that he is not running for president. Haley further reiterated that it all came down to the "role of the government" and the rights of the people. She went on to state:
"I will always stand by the fact that I think government was intended to secure the rights and freedoms of the people. It was never meant to be all things to all people."
Nikki Haley continued about how she believed that the government doesn't need to tell people how to live their lives and what they can and cannot do while not being a part of their lives and ensuring that the people have freedom. Then, she went on about the need for capitalism, economic freedom, and individual liberties. To this answer, the voter replied:
"In the year 2023, it’s astonishing to me that you answer that question without mentioning the word slavery,"
Haley fired back:
"What do you want me to say about slavery?"
The voter concluded before Haley swiftly moved on to the next question:
"You answered my question,"
Nikki Haley was on the receiving end of extremely harsh criticism regarding the way she chose to answer the question and her commission of slavery. Some netizens cited that Haley was inauthentic and ignorant, while a few others were disappointed and disheartened with her omission of slavery.
Social media users even criticized Nikki Haley for allegedly trying to appeal to GOP frontrunner Donald Trump's voter base by echoing similar sentiments. One user even saw this moment as the one that could potentially derail Haley's entire presidential campaign. Here are a few reactions from X (formerly known as Twitter) user @BidenHQ's tweet about the incident:
The race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination is anything but competitive as Donald Trump's seemingly unsurmountable lead has usurped the rest of the candidates, including Haley, who is left at a distant second.
