Former GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley warned Republicans about the messaging on women and Latinos during the final stretch of the 2024 presidential election after a “harmful” rally moment that occurred over the weekend in New York City.
“So when you look at these things, it has got to be a story of addition,” Haley told Fox News’s Bret Baier during her Tuesday appearance on the network.
“This is not a time to have anyone criticize Puerto Rico or Latinos,” she continued. “This is not a time for them to get overly masculine with this romance thing that they’ve got going. Fifty-three percent of the electorate are women. Women will vote. They care about how they’re being talked to, and they care about the issues. They need to remember that this is a time of discipline, and this is a time of addition.”
Haley’s remarks come after comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who goes by Kill Tony, joked about Puerto Rico, Latinos and Black people at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally on Sunday, a performance that drew rebukes from all sides. The Trump campaign distanced itself from the comic, with Trump campaign senior adviser Danielle Alvarez saying his “joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign.”
Haley, the former U.S. ambassador to the U.N., said Hinchcliffe’s set was “harmful.” She argued that Trump and his campaign’s supporters need to speak directly with Puerto Ricans but also be more careful in the way they communicate with women.
“I think it’s harmful,” Haley said Tuesday. “I mean, look, there’s no reason to have a comedian at an election campaign event that had so much energy and so many good issues. Why have a comedian that separates people? This is not people being sensitive.”
“I mean, Puerto Ricans, that’s personal for them. They take that personally. So, if they were right to denounce the comedian, they need to go and tell Puerto Ricans how much you know they do value them. They need to tell Latinos that.”
“But they also need to look at how they’re talking about women,” she added. “I mean, that this bro romance and this masculinity stuff, I mean, it borders on edgy to the point that it’s going to make women uncomfortable.”
Polls have shown that Vice President Harris leads Trump among women while the former president has a large lead with men. Some Republicans voiced concerns that Trump might have an issue with female voters in the race last month but argued it would not be too late to make an adjustment.
The former South Carolina governor said last month that she had not been asked to join Trump on the campaign trail. She made similar comments on Tuesday, adding that the last time she spoke with the GOP nominee was in June.
“They’re very aware that we’re on standby. They know that we would be there to help. I’ve helped with some fundraising letters and text messages and those types of things, so we’ve done that,” Haley said. “It is their campaign’s decision on what he needs, and these last final days, it does not bother me at all.”
