Nikki Haley said Monday that former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, should change the way they talk about women and instead focus on their policy positions.
In an interview on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends,” Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, asked why Harris thought there was a 14-point gender gap advantage among women.
“I think Donald Trump and JD Vance need to change the way they talk about women. You don’t have to call Kamala dumb. She didn’t go that far, you know, by accident… She’s a woman. Prosecutor, go ahead and talk about intelligence or looks or something no need to talk,” he said.
Haley said that when Republicans call Democratic women “dumb,” “Republican women stand up.”
“The main thing is that we are winning in politics,” he said. “Stick to the policies, leave everything else. That’s how he can win.”
The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment on Haley’s remarks.
Despite saying earlier this year that she would not support Trump when he dropped out of the GOP presidential race, Haley expressed her strong support for him in speeches at the Republican National Convention in July.
But since he supports it Haley did not hesitate to criticize the former presidentResigned as governor to serve as US ambassador to the United Nations.
In an interview on CBS News’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday, Haley said she didn’t agree with Trump’s style or communication strategy, but that there was “no question” whether she would support him over Harris because of his policies. .
“Now, do I agree with his style? Do I agree with his approach? Do I agree with his communication? No,” Haley said. “When I think about policies and how they’ve affected my family and how they’ll affect the country, I go back and look at the differences. I mean, it’s our candidates. It’s a given.”
He added later, referencing Comments by Vance“No, it’s not helpful to talk about whether or not women have children.”
Describing both candidates, Haley said: “Neither is perfect. Neither is ideal.”
Trump has been targeting Harris with ad hominem attacks since entering the race after President Joe Biden dropped out. Speaking on a New Hampshire-based podcast last week, Trump said Harris was “not smart enough.”
“Something is wrong,” Trump said. “It’s wrong, but we can’t go four more years with a dumb president. We can’t do it. We’ve had four years with a president who should never have been there, and we can’t do it.”
Jake Traylor and Raquel Coronell Uribe contributed.