Trump turns ire on Haley as she builds momentum

CNN —

With just days until the Iowa caucuses, former President Donald Trump and his team have shifted to targetingGOP presidential rival Nikki Haley as they seek to slow her recent momentum before the first votes are cast this primary season.

The turn to Trump’s one-time ambassador to the United Nations marks a significant change in strategy for the former president and his campaign. The front-runner had spent the better part of the last year solely attacking Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who had long been considered his top GOP challenger. However, recent polls have shown an unmistakable surge for the former South Carolina governor, particularly in New Hampshire, where a new CNN survey showed Trump’s lead shrinking to single digits.

Left - WATERLOO, IOWA - DECEMBER 19: Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump gestures as he wraps up a campaign event on December 19, 2023 in Waterloo, Iowa. Iowa Republicans will be the first to select their party's nomination for the 2024 presidential race, when they go to caucus on January 15, 2024. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) Right - US Republican presidential candidate and former US ambassador to the Unted Nations Nikki Haley speaks at a town hall meeting hosted by Fox News in Des Moines, Iowa, on January 8, 2024. (Photo by Christian MONTERROSA / AFP) (Photo by CHRISTIAN MONTERROSA/AFP via Getty Images)

CNN Poll: Haley trims Trump’s lead to single digits in New Hampshire

But even though he has publicly sought to downplay recent polls – and he still holds a commanding lead over the GOP field elsewhere – Trump’s team is taking Haley’s rise seriously, with the former president homing in on her stances on immigration as he seeks to emphasize his