Nikki Haley Tries To Nudge Donald Trump Into Debating Her One-On-One

Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley challenged her rival and front-runner in the GOP presidential primary race, Donald Trump, to participate in a one-on-one debate with her on Wednesday, a day after the New Hampshire contest.

Haley, who performed better than expected but still trailed Trump by about 10 percentage points in the Granite State, has vowed to stay in the race but many believe she faces an uphill battle and claim Trump will inevitably be the Republican Party’s nominee in November.

The former South Carolina governor said she would no longer take part in any debates unless Trump agreed to also appear on stage, following the Iowa caucuses where she came third, trailing both Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has since dropped out of the race. The former president has not joined any of the debates in the 2024 campaign cycle.

But Haley is trying to nudge him into changing his mind. She said Trump was peeved at her call for mental competency tests for candidates over the age of 75 and claimed he would challenge her to one and beat her. A debate would offer him the opportunity to do so, Haley suggested.

“Bring it, Donald, show me what you got,” she added during a rally in North Charleston on Wednesday.

During the event, Haley called out Trump over the “temper tantrum” he threw at her Tuesday after his win in New Hampshire.

“I know that’s what he does when he’s insecure, I know that’s what he does when he is threatened,” she said.

Haley’s campaign has shifted their attention to her home state of South Carolina, the next event in the GOP primary election calendar on Feb. 23.

According to an average of polls compiled byFiveThirtyEight, Trump appears to hold a massive lead over her in the state as he holds over 60%