By Jackson Cote 1/14/2016
South Carolina Nikki Haley took heat from several fellow conservatives after directing some jabs at Republican presidential frontrunner, Donald Trump, during her official GOP response to President Obama’s State of the Union address last week.
Haley, mentioning her immigrant family as well as the current treatment of American immigrants, warned against listening to “the angriest voices.”
The governor said, “During anxious times, it can be tempting to follow the siren call of the angriest voices. We must resist that temptation. No one who is willing to work hard, abide by our laws, and love our traditions should ever feel unwelcome in this country.”
Haley also stated, “Some people think that you have to be the loudest voice in the room to make a difference. That is just not true. Often, the best thing we can do is turn down the volume. When the sound is quieter, you can actually hear what someone else is saying. And that can make a world of difference”.
Trump was never mentioned by name, but in a later NBC interview, Haley confirmed she was referring to the billionaire business-mogul in her statements-commenting, “Yes, Mr. Trump has definitely contributed to what I think is just irresponsible talk.”
Haley received some major flack from big-name conservatives shortly after making these comments. Critics included Rush Limbaugh and presidential-hopeful Carly Fiorina, who went on record calling Haley’s response “the wrong note.” American conservative social and political commentator, Ann Coulter tweeted, “Trump should deport Nikki Haley.”
Trump also did his fair share of bashing. In a “Fox & Friends” interview on Wednesday, he took shots back at Haley, stating “She’s very weak on illegal immigration and she certainly has no trouble asking me for campaign contributions because over the years she’s asked me for a hell of a lot of money in campaign contributions.”
Governor Haley, despite being criticized by many conservatives, has received a fair amount of praise for her comments, with many in Washington arguing that her response could have made her a potential vice-presidential running mate.