By one metric at least, angering Donald Trump has been good for Nikki Haley.
Haley’s 2024 presidential campaign raised $2.6 million in a 48-hour period that started Tuesday night after polls closed in New Hampshire’s Republican primary, according to a statement from the campaign.
The Impact of Trump’s Blacklist
That included $1.2 million from small-dollar and online contributors in the wake of a Trump pledge to blacklist Haley donors, her campaign said.
In a social-media post on Wednesday night, Trump said anyone who makes a contribution to Haley “from this moment forth, will be permanently barred from the MAGA camp. We don’t want them, and will not accept them.” MAGA stands for “Make America Great Again.”
Turning Adversity into Opportunity
Haley’s team was quick to turn the former president’s words into a T-shirt and fundraising pitch, as shown in the social-media post below.
Trump expressed similar hostility toward Haley and her supporters in his victory speech after the New Hampshire primary, which he won by 11 points. In his remarks, he described his former ambassador to the U.N. as an “imposter” who in her own speech had tried to “take a victory when she had a very bad night.” He had taken a friendlier tack in his speech after last week’s Iowa caucuses and congratulated her at that time.
Calls for Haley to Drop Out
Haley is facing calls, especially from Trump allies, to drop out of the GOP presidential primary after her losses in New Hampshire and Iowa. But one expert noted that Trump’s speech on Tuesday night in the Granite State would not be seen in a negative light by Haley’s donors.
“It’s evidence that she’s getting under his skin. He only lashes out at somebody who thinks he thinks is a threat to him,” said Robin Kolodny, a Temple University professor of political science with an expertise in campaign finance.
Haley’s Trump Challenge: Personal Vendettas or Conservative Leadership?
In response to Trump’s threats to ostracize donors supporting Nikki Haley’s campaign, Haley spokesperson AnnMarie Graham-Barnes reaffirmed the stark choice facing voters in the upcoming election: personal vendettas or real conservative leadership.
Graham-Barnes added that Trump’s scheme had backfired, as contributions to the Haley campaign were pouring in. This serves as proof that people are tired of the drama and are rallying behind Nikki’s vision for a strong and proud America.
Haley’s campaign has been gaining significant momentum, having raised $24 million in the last quarter of 2023. Additionally, they have launched a $4 million advertising blitz in her home state of South Carolina ahead of the GOP primary on Feb. 24.
Furthermore, the main super PAC supporting Haley has revealed that it raised $50.1 million in the second half of 2023, outperforming Trump’s leading super PAC, which raised just over $46 million during the same period.
Notably, Trump’s campaign has proven adept at capitalizing on headlines for fundraising purposes. Following the former president’s high-profile indictment in a hush-money case last March, his campaign reported raising over $5 million within 48 hours.
While betting markets still favor Trump with an 87% chance of securing the 2024 GOP nomination and challenging President Joe Biden in the general election, Haley is trailing with a mere 7% chance. In South Carolina, Trump holds a significant lead of 30 points over Haley based on current poll averages.
Now read: Here’s how long Haley’s big donors could keep funding her 2024 campaign
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