Burgum downplays Trump attacks on Haley's name and conspiracy about her heritage

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who endorsed Donald Trump after suspending his own Republican presidential campaign, on Sunday tried to downplay the former president's inflammatory new attacks on former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley's name and heritage.

When pressed by ABC News «This Week» co-anchor Martha Raddatz on Trump's intentional mispronunciations of Haley's first name — Nimarata — and elevation of a false conspiracy theory that she is unable to be president because her Indian immigrant parents weren't citizens when she was born in South Carolina, Burgum initially did not give a direct answer.

But Raddatz followed up: «Please answer the question, sir. Answer the question about why you think Donald Trump is doing that.»

Trump has repeatedly misstated or mispronounced Haley's first name, more often in social media posts. She goes by her middle name and took her husband's last name after they married.

Trump has a history of racist attacks on some non-white opponents — including infamously questioning whether Barack Obama was born in the U.S. (he was) and singling out Obama's middle name, Hussein.

Burgum on «This Week» chalked the comments up to more routine sharp exchanges in a campaign, pointing to how President Joe Biden has gone after Trump rather than, he argued, focusing more on key issues like crime, immigration and inflation.

«I think it's politics,» Burgum said, adding, «That's politics around the world, and it's politics in America.»

«So, do you think that's the kind of politics that Donald Trump is using, going after Nikki Haley's heritage, that will bring the country together?» Raddatz asked.

«You could ask me the question about, you know, what did Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders and Kamala Harris say? The