Former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley told Fox News on Tuesday that GOP nominee Donald Trump’s “overly masculine” campaign could be putting off women voters in a crucial moment.
“This is not a time for them to get overly masculine with this bromance thing that they have got going. Fifty-three percent of the electorate are women. Women will vote. They care about how they are being talked to and they care about the issues,” Haley said, referring to the volatile and bigoted environment at Trump’s MAGA rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday.
Polls show a major gender gap this election, with the majority of women supporting Vice President Kamala Harris and the majority of men supporting Trump. Haley said much of the comments made throughout not only the MSG rally but the entire GOP party is destroying their chances to win over women.
Throughout his campaign, Trump and his allies have repeatedly attacked Harris’ gender, often questioning her intelligence and calling her dumb. Billionaire Elon Musk’s super PAC recently shared a video on X calling Harris the "C-word." At the MSG rally on Sunday, one speaker called Harris the “anti-christ” and another said her “pimp handlers” will destroy the country.
“That is not the way to win women. That is not the way to win people who are concerned about Trump’s style,” Haley told Fox News on Tuesday.
She also criticized much of the racist and xenophobic rhetoric from the rally, specifically calling out comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s offensive joke where he referred to Puerto Rico as an “island of garbage,” which caused outrage and offense among Puerto Rican voters in crucial swing states like Pennsylvania and Michigan.
“This is not a time to have anyone criticize Puerto Rico or Latinos,” Haley said, adding that the GOP should focus on discipline, not comedy.
The former UN ambassador was Trump’s top challenger in the Republican primary this past spring, receiving thousands of votes even after she dropped out of the race. Democrats have focused much of their campaign efforts on targeting Haley supporters, despite her endorsement of the former president in July.
Haley has previously been critical of Trump and his running mate JD Vance’s comments about Harris' gender, urging them to “change the way they talk about women.”
"You don't need to call Kamala 'dumb,'" Haley said on Fox News last month. "She didn't get this far, you know, just by accident. ... She's a prosecutor. You don't need to go and talk about intelligence or looks or anything else. Just focus on the policies."
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