Nikki Haley’s 22-year-old son has adopted the Trumpian way of assigning derogatory nicknames to his mother’s previous primary rivals.
Nalin Haley, a senior at Villanova University, called Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) a traitor named “Senator Judas” and compared biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy to the likeness of the clown Pennywise from the horror movie It.
Both Scott and Ramaswamy were once among the top competitors in the Republican primary field. Both dropped out and have since supported former President Donald Trump.
Ramaswamy spokeswoman Tricia McLaughin wondered in a statement to DailyMail.com: “Didn’t Haley say to keep the kids out of it and now she’s using them as attack dogs?”
Nalin and his sister Rena, 26, have gone on the campaign trail with their mother, while their father and the husband of 2024 hopeful Maj. Michael Haley are deployed in Africa with the South Carolina Army National Guard.
Nikki Haley’s son Nalin, 22, has given derogatory nicknames to his mother’s former 2024 rivals, Sens. Tim Scott and Vivek Ramaswamy, both of whom supported Donald Trump after withdrawing from the race
Nalin (left) and sister Rena, 26, (right) are campaigning for 2024 with their mother
At a rally in Gilbert, South Carolina on Saturday, Nalin took his time during his remarks suggesting his mother attack Scott, who has become a top surrogate for Trump in the Palmetto State.
“We had a lot of them go to New Hampshire,” Nalin noted, “and I saw Trump standing side by side, standing next to Senator Judas – excuse me, Senator Scott.”
The jab earned him ‘oohs’ from the crowd, with one audience member saying ‘Ouch’.
Nalin claims with the nickname that Scott betrayed his mother when he supported Trump for president after he dropped out of the race last year.
Haley appointed Scott to the Senate in 2012 when she was governor of South Carolina.
During a meeting, Haley joked that she would “deal with” Nalin after he attacked her rivals.
Meanwhile, Nalin also strongly criticized Ramaswamy, who brought up Haley’s daughter’s use of TikTok during a Republican presidential debate last year while criticizing her for her positions on China.
‘My mother had a conversation with me and I thought: you know what? I feel terrible and I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to Pennywise,” Nalin said during a speech in Summerville, South Carolina, on Tuesday, referring to previous criticism of Ramaswamy.
“Because Pennywise is a lot less creepy, a lot less of a clown, and he has a way better hairline than he (Ramaswamy),” he added.
Haley’s husband, Major Michael Haley, is deployed to Africa with the Army National Guard and is unable to campaign with his wife
Nalin dubbed Scott “Senator Judas” after he endorsed Trump and remains a top surrogate for him in South Carolina after Haley, when she was S.C. governor, appointed him to his senatorial seat in 2012.
Nalin also compared Ramaswamy to the clown Pennywise from the horror film It – specifically pointing out the shape of the head and hairline
This was a throwback to his original attack on Ramaswamy last year, after the biotech entrepreneur went after Rena personally.
“Vivague Ramaslimey has deteriorated more than his receding hairline,” Nalin wrote on X, formerly Twitter, the day after the heated Republican presidential primary debate in November.
A little later, on November 8, he posted an image of the clown Pennywise from the horror film It and said he was having “trouble” finding the difference between the two – specifically pointing out the shape of their heads and hairline.
McLaughlin responded to the insult with a statement to DailyMail.com: “In most cases of campaign banter I give credit where credit is due, but in this case I hope he can develop his nonsense arsenal with something mildly funny. .’