Nikki Haley ramps up criticism of ‘thin-skinned’ and ‘easily distracted’ Trump: 2024 hopeful says he’s ‘weak in the knees’ on Ukraine in most direct attack on her rival – as she rises in the polls

Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley said Thursday that former President Donald Trump will be remembered as “thin-skinned and easily distracted,” and criticized him for becoming “weak in the knees” on Ukraine.

Haley has been hopping around New Hampshire, a state where she has seen her fortunes rise in 2024. with an InsiderAdvantage survey Released Thursday, it shows her in a final second place — she received 14 percent of the vote, compared to Trump’s 42 percent.

In addition, a CNN Granite State poll on Wednesday showed her in third place, well behind Trump but neck-and-neck with Vivek Ramaswamy, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The ex-ambassador and former governor of South Carolina headlined a Rotary Club luncheon at Portsmouth Country Club, where she was asked by an attendee how Trump will be remembered 100 years from now.

“You get the prize for the question I wasn’t asked,” Haley said with a laugh — before giving Trump a very mixed review.

Former President Donald Trump will attend an event in Iowa on Wednesday where he is running for president for the third time. Haley called Trump the “right president at the right time” but suggested it was time for the 77-year-old to move on

“How do I think he will be remembered?” she noted. ‘Time does funny things.’

“My thought will be that he was the right president at the right time. He broke things that needed to be broken. He listened and brought in a group of people who felt unheard, like where I grew up in rural South Carolina,” Haley said.

She said Trump was “strong on foreign policy and gaining America’s respect in the world.”

At that point the rating went downhill.

“He was thin-skinned and easily distracted,” she continued.

“He has done nothing on fiscal policy and has really spent a lot of money and we are all paying the price for that,” she said.

She did credit him with handling the border crisis better than Biden.

‘He used to be good at foreign policy. And now he’s starting to back down and become weak in the knees when it comes to Ukraine,” she said.

Haley is so supportive of Ukraine that she said the country should be admitted to NATO as a way to stop Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion. She reiterated that point Thursday during an earlier campaign stop in Bedford, New Hampshire.

“Something terrible happened on January 6 and he called it a beautiful day. And in the eyes of America, it was a terrible day,” Haley added.

Former UN Ambassador. Nikki Haley headlined a Rotary Club luncheon at Portsmouth Country Club, where she was asked by an attendee how Trump will be remembered in 100 years

A CNN Granite State poll Wednesday showed Nikki Haley in third place, far behind Trump but neck-and-neck with Vivek Ramaswamy, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. A New Hampshire poll released Thursday put her in second place

With the exception of Christie, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and former Rep. Will Hurd — who are running for office as anti-Trump picks — most of the 2024 Republican primary has been reluctant to slam the ex-president.

Former Vice President Mike Pence has done so, but in the context of January 6, saying he had no right to overturn the 2020 election as Trump had wanted.

But without the gloves coming off, the race for first place has become static — with Trump far ahead — and the other Republican hopefuls vying for second and third places.

Haley expected this could change as the field narrowed.

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez already dropped out after failing to reach the debate in Milwaukee in August.

“This isn’t 2016, when we had 17 people on stage. We started with 13, on the debate stage you saw it was eight, next week we go to the debate stage, it will be six,” Haley said in Portsmouth.

“Going into Iowa, I think we’re looking at four, maybe five. A couple will drop off in Iowa. They’re coming to New Hampshire. I think you’re looking at three, maybe four,” she continued.

“The couple is dropping off and you will be competing against each other in my sweet home state of South Carolina,” she said to cheers.

According to the American newspaper South Carolina, Trump currently has a 32-point lead over Haley Polling Average for Real Clear Politics.