GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley Sunday slammed former President Donald Trump for comments he made about her husband being overseas on deployment rather than being by her side during her campaign, saying he has made a "pattern" out of mocking people in the military.
"We can't have someone who sits there and mocks our men and women who are trying to protect America," the former South Carolina governor, who served as a United Nations ambassador under Trump, told CBS' "Face the Nation."
During his rally in Conway, South Carolina Saturday, Trump questioned the whereabouts of Haley's husband, Michael, a commissioned officer in the South Carolina National Guard who is deployed with the 218th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade in the Horn of Africa.
"It's a pattern of chaos," Haley told CBS about Trump's attack. "It's a pattern of irresponsibility. It's a pattern of just saying things that are not helpful in strengthening America."
She added that both Trump and President Joe Biden always "talk about themselves" rather than how they will serve the people of the United States.
Haley also insisted Sunday that her opposition to Trump's comments about her husband isn't "personal" but said he was being "insulting" to people in the military and their families.
Meanwhile, Haley also reiterated her support for NATO after Trump's comments suggesting he wouldn't protect fellow member countries that don't spend enough on defense.
NATO "allows us to prevent war," Haley said, while also scolding Trump for being friendly with Russia.
"I've dealt with Russia every day," she said. "The last thing we ever want to do is side with Russia."
Haley further on Sunday repeated her call for mental competency tests for presidential candidates, saying that when people get to the ages of Trump, who is 77 years old, and Biden, 81, "when you get to those ages you get diminished."
"These are people making decisions on our national security, these are people making decisions on the future of our economy," Haley who is much younger at 52, said. "We need to know they're at the top of their game."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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