"Haley Criticizes Trump Campaign Message for Alienating Female Voters"

[US Election 2024]

In the U.S. Republican primary, Nikki Haley, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations who competed closely with former President Donald Trump until the final stages, evaluated that the overly masculine messaging of the Trump campaign is alienating female voters.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

On the night of the 29th (local time), Haley said in an interview with Fox News, "We need to look at how they (former President Trump and the Trump campaign) are talking about women." She pointed out, "This bromance and masculinity have reached an extreme level that makes women uncomfortable."

Specifically, she criticized the super PAC 'America PAC,' which is running ads referring to Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris with the C-Word (a derogatory term for women starting with C). She also condemned the speakers at former President Trump's rally held on the 27th at Madison Square Garden in New York, who hurled racist and misogynistic insults at Democratic women politicians such as Vice President Harris and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, saying, "This is not a way to beat women."

Haley argued that such rhetoric is turning away moderate voters, especially female voters, thereby actually blocking former President Trump's chances of returning to the White House. She also expressed concern about the Trump campaign’s supportive rally speech that disparaged the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico as a "floating trash island," saying, "Now is not the time to blame Puerto Rico or Latinos," and "It is not the time to become overly masculine." Although Puerto Rico residents do not have voting rights in the U.S. presidential election, there are a significant number of Puerto Rican-origin voters in key battleground states, including Pennsylvania, which could work against former President Trump. Trump himself seemed aware of this, distancing himself by saying, "I don't know who he (the comedian who made the remark in the supportive speech) is."

Haley is a prominent female politician favored not only within the mainstream Republican Party but also among moderate voters. She has broad appeal in terms of age (50s), gender (female), ethnicity (Indian descent), and religion (Sikh), and at one point emerged as a 'Trump alternative' centered around anti-Trump figures within the Republican and conservative camps. During the primary, she engaged in sharp exchanges with former President Trump and did not express support for him upon withdrawing, but later announced her endorsement in April of this year.

On this day, Haley confirmed that she is "on standby" to help former President Trump's campaign. However, major foreign media added that no official decision has been made yet.