The Familiar Playbook: Donald Trump's Use of Otherization Against Nikki Haley | Vanity Fair

Written by Caleb Ecarma

Following a resounding victory in the Iowa caucuses, former president Donald Trump has directed his attention and criticism towards Nikki Haley, who served as governor of South Carolina and finished third in Iowa's caucuses. Currently trailing Trump by less than 14 points in New Hampshire, where the second contest of the Republican nominating process is due on January 23, Haley has been accused by Trump of proposing to slash Social Security benefits and supporting tax hikes. In addition, Trump made a derogatory comment about her first name. “It would appear from Nikki ‘Nimrada’ Haley’s odd speech last night that she was victorious in the Iowa Primary,” Trump posted in a Truth Social post on Tuesday, incorrectly spelling Nimarata, Haley’s birth name. “She wasn’t, and she even failed to defeat an incredibly inadequate Ron DeSanctimonious, who’s run out of funds, and devoid of hope,” Trump asserted.

Trump’s strategy of alienating Haley's name and labeling it as foreign or uncommon to the predominantly white Republican voters is a well-worn tactic. Haley has used her middle name, Nikki, since her childhood; Nikki also translates to “little one” in Punjabi. Trump had similarly targeted Barack Obama and Kamala Harris in the past, accentuating Obama's Arabic-origin middle name, Hussein, and mispronouncing Buttigieg’s last name as "Boot-edge-edge."

Earlier, Haley’s real first name was brought up by Vivek Ramaswamy, a former Republican contestant who quit his campaign on Monday and endorsed Trump. In reply, Haley informed Fox News in August, “Nikki is the name on my birth certificate, and I grew up as Nikki.” She added, “Upon marrying a Haley, that is now my name, so he is free to incorrectly spell or say whatever he likes.”

Trump, who previously fueled the baseless birtherism conspiracy theory claiming Obama was not US-born and thus ineligible for presidency, circulated a Gateway Pundit post suggesting that Haley shouldn’t be allowed to run for presidency as her parents were not US citizens during her birth. This argument is incorrect, as Haley was born in South Carolina in 1972, which legally qualifies her to contest for president under the 14th Amendment. The fact that her parents became citizens after she was born is irrelevant.

Even though most New Hampshire polls show Haley trailing Trump by double digits, her support base is stronger there than in any other state. As an analysis, Haley’s best prospect of clinching a victory against Trump in the Republican race lies with New Hampshire’s primary. Florida governor Ron DeSantis, who beat Haley to the second spot in Iowa by a small margin, has garnered only mid-single digits in New Hampshire. This could explain Haley's decision to skip a head-to-head debate with DeSantis that was arranged by ABC News for Thursday. According to Haley’s campaign, she will only participate in debates that include Trump or Joe Biden in the future. 

However, even a single defeat against Trump next week may not make the primary more competitive. In South Carolina, the subsequent state in the GOP primary run and Haley's home state, Trump leads Haley by nearly 30 points, as per FiveThirtyEight’s aggregate polling average.