Nikki Haley’s campaign asks why Trump is ‘so angry’ in response to his New Hampshire victory ‘rant’: Rival slams ex-president for ‘demanding a coronation’ in speech ‘full of grievances’

Nikki Haley’s campaign questioned the anger in Donald Trump’s victory speech, which was filled with more attacks on his rival than acknowledgment of his victory in the New Hampshire primary.

With more than 80 percent of the vote, Trump was only about 11 points ahead of Haley — 54 to 43 — while polls predicted the former president would have a larger lead.

During his election night rally, Trump blasted his only remaining primary competitor as an “imposter,” claiming that “we beat her so badly.”

“This isn’t your typical victory speech, but let’s not let someone get the win when she’s had a really bad night,” Trump said, clearly irritated by the concession speech Haley gave moments earlier.

“She had a really bad night,” the former president said of Haley.

Haley’s communications director Nachama Soloveichik responded, “Two states have now voted in the presidential race, and Donald Trump barely got half the votes — hardly a resounding show of support for a former president who demanded a coronation.”

“His angry tirade was filled with grievances and offered nothing to the American people about his vision for the future of our country,” she added in the statement. “This is why so many voters want to leave the chaos of Trump behind them and rally behind Nikki Haley’s new generation of conservative leaders.”

The statement came after Haley defiantly refused to withdraw from the race for the Republican presidential nomination on Tuesday, claiming the fight was “far from over” as he congratulated Trump on his “deserved” victory.

Trump walked away with an impressive victory in the Iowa caucuses last week, where he won 51 percent of the vote. Haley finished third in Iowa with 19.1 percent.

The former UN ambassador gambled that he would perform better in New Hampshire, but fell short again.

Instead of taking a victory lap, Haley quickly caved to Trump as the first predictions rolled in and said she was looking forward to the primaries in her home state of South Carolina next month.

“I want to congratulate Donald Trump on his victory – he earned it, and I want to acknowledge that,” Haley, 52, told supporters at her campaign rally in Concord, New Hampshire.

“You’ve all heard the chatter among the political class. They’re falling over themselves and saying this race is over. It is not over yet!’ she exclaimed.

With a third of the votes counted, Trump was ahead of Haley — 53 percent to 45 percent.

What has until now been a three-way contest turned into a head-to-head for the Republican nomination after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis dropped out of the race on Sunday.

Now Haley and Trump are the only two vying for the Republican vote for the 2024 general election.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden has effectively locked up the Democratic nomination, with no serious contenders. He even won the election for the Democrats in New Hampshire on Tuesday, even though he was not on the ballot.

Haley, who is decades younger than Trump and Biden, claims that whichever party will “retire its 80-year-old candidate” first will be the party that wins the 2024 election.

“New Hampshire is first in the country – it’s not last in the country. This race is far from over. There are still dozens of states to go,” Haley said in her concession speech, adding that “the next one is my dear state of South Carolina.”

With her two children Rena, 26, and Nalin, 22, in the audience, Haley showed she’s now headed back to South Carolina – where she hopes to finally get a win in her home state.

However, the Palmetto State is holding its fourth primary, after the Iowa caucuses, the New Hampshire primaries and the Nevada contests. Her comments Tuesday indicate that Haley largely plans to ignore Nevada, where she is participating in the primaries and cannot earn state delegates.

Haley also doesn’t seem to be doing much better in the South Carolina primary, where a polling average from RealClearPolitics puts her 30 points behind Trump – 52 percent to 21.8 percent.

Trump’s victory in New Hampshire proves that even in a state with more moderate Republicans, the former president still has a strong hold on the Republican Party.

Many Democratic voters in New Hampshire told DailyMail.com they switched their registration to undecided so they could cast their ballots for Haley in the Republican primary, hoping to thwart Trump’s lead.

Polls just days before the Jan. 23 primary, when DeSantis was still eligible, placed Haley in a solid second place — but still about 20 percentage points behind Trump.

In the month before the primaries, Haley came within one digit of Trump. In one poll from January 12 to 15, Haley and Trump were dead, even at 40 percent each.

On Tuesday night, Haley once again brought into question the issue of age and — in turn — eligibility for office.

The 52-year-old brought up Trump’s recent gaffe in which he confused Haley with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi during rally remarks in New Hampshire. She also reiterated her call for mental competency tests for politicians over the age of 75, a qualification that both Trump and Biden meet.

“Most Americans do not want a rematch between Biden and Trump,” she said in her concession speech in Concord on Tuesday.

“The first party to retire its 80-year-old candidate will win these elections,” she added. “I say it should be the Republicans!”

Haley said if Trump thinks he’s mentally fit, he “shouldn’t have a problem getting up on a debate stage” to face off in the limited primaries.

Trump has so far declined to participate in primary debates — but Haley hopes to entice him now that the field consists only of them.

Haley stormed into New Hampshire after leaving Iowa on Jan. 15 with 19.1 percent of the vote in the caucuses. She held an average of three official events a day, along with off-the-record living room political stops at restaurants, pubs and markets.

Since the Iowa caucuses, Trump has held a rally in several New Hampshire cities every day, with the exception of Thursday. He has also made record stops in the country’s first primaries, such as at his campaign headquarters.

As voters emerge from polling stations in the blue town of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on Tuesday, they can tell DailyMail.com they voted for Haley — while others wrote in President Joe Biden’s name.

Only one voter announced they voted for Trump, claiming Haley has “no chance.”