Former President Donald Trump did not waste any time sizing up the only other Republican candidate to formally declare their candidacy for the White House in 2024.
A few minutes after former South Carolina GOP Gov. Nikki Haley launched her bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination Wednesday, the Trump team publicly drew attention to Haley supporting budgetary cuts in Medicare and Social Security.
For an email titled, "The Real Nikki Haley," the Trump campaign noted how Haley previously praised former House Speaker Paul Ryan's plan to eliminate Medicare and turn it into a voucher system.
The Trump campaign also highlighted a 2010 Fox News interview, in which Haley — the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations during the Trump administration — suggested Congress should be exploring ways to cut Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.
With the debt-ceiling crisis in America seemingly headed for a showdown this spring, a some fear substantive cuts to entitlement programs, particularly Medicare and Social Security.
However, Trump has repeatedly called on House Republicans to find the cuts elsewhere, saying the American people have earned their Social Security benefits.
Trump understands proposing cuts to Medicare could become a hot-button issue among senior citizens, who historically turn out very well to vote on Election Day.
In 2020, then-President Trump announced a copay maximum of $35 for a month's supply of insulin — benefiting young people and senior citizens who deal with diabetes on a daily basis.
According to DiabetesResearch.org, approximately 34.2 million Americans have some form of diabetes, accounting for roughly 10.5% of the U.S. population.
Last week, YouGov/Yahoo! News surveyed Republican or Republican-leaning voters on a hypothetical one-on-one battle between Trump and Haley for the RNC's 2024 nomination.
Trump (54%) doubled up Haley's support tally (27%) in the poll, with 19% of the remaining support not being committed to either candidate.
In the coming weeks and months, more prominent Republicans might announce their intentions for the White House in 2024 — a list that could include Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis; Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C.; former Arkansas GOP Gov. Asa Hutchinson; former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo; and former Vice President Mike Pence.
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