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Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley is battling former President Donald Trump for the Republican nomination for the presidential election in November.
1 / 2 Photo: AP/TT
A “chicken brain”, a “corrupt” president and “grumpy old men”. Republican Donald Trump spouts disparaging remarks – fellow party member Nikki Haley and President Joe Biden follow suit.
America’s election campaign is already unusually dirty.
Sandwiched between tables at a barbecue restaurant in Hilton Head, South Carolina, Nikki Haley resorted to a familiar move.
– Isn’t it time for mental competency tests for all (presidential candidates) over 75, she asked rhetorically.
– It’s about people who have to make decisions about national security and our economic future. They must be in top shape.
On a new level
The former UN ambassador Haley is 52 years old and the only one who is still fighting with Donald Trump about the Republican presidential candidacy. The pressure to win in South Carolina’s home state primary on February 24 is immense. But the campaign, which touts Donald Trump, 77, and Joe Biden, 81, as “drama divas” and “grumpy old men,” is risky because South Carolina has a large percentage of retirees.
Boston University recently published an article in which researchers debate whether Haley is guilty of age discrimination.
Campaigning against – rather than for – something or someone is not a new feature in electoral America, but Donald Trump has taken the phenomenon to a new level. His entry into the political arena ahead of the 2016 presidential election was followed by a torrent of nicknames and derogatory slurs at rivals.
With delight mixed with horror, the media reported on opponents’ body size, appearance, background and competence. Several women were “crazy”, someone had a “horse face”.
Want so doubt
Nikki Haley, daughter of immigrants from India and formerly part of Trump’s government circle, he calls “chicken brain”. Trump has also used a variant of her Indian birth name Nimarata – “Nimbra” – in a way that could be perceived as derogatory.
The strategy is reminiscent of the attacks against former president Barack Obama. Trump liked to emphasize Obama’s Kenyan origins and middle name Hussein, according to observers to cast doubt on whether he was truly American.
However, Trump’s main target remains President Biden, whom he calls “corrupt”, “senile” and “incompetent”. He also rages against the four criminal charges brought against him, which Trump says are “fraud” and part of a “witch hunt” that he calls on supporters to save him from in fundraising emails.
Possibly the rhetoric has rubbed off on Biden as well. He is reported these days to have called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “shithole”. Last fall, he referred to Trump as “Hoover Trump”, alluding to Herbert Hoover who, along with Trump, is the only president to have seen the number of jobs shrink during his term.
FACTS The path to candidacy
The presidential candidates in the United States are formally chosen at the Democratic and Republican conventions, but who they will be is usually clear much earlier in the primary election process.
This year, the Republicans will hold their convention on July 15-18, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Democrats meet August 19-22 in Chicago, Illinois.
A few thousand delegates are sent to the convention. These are appointed at the primary elections and nomination meetings held in each state earlier in the election year. The number of delegates varies according to the population of the states.
Nomination meetings are also called nomination elections or trial elections (in English caucus). They are usually organized by the parties and involve members gathering locally, debating and carrying out a form of voting. Primary elections are arranged by the states and are more like ordinary local elections, although usually with lower turnout.
When it is clear who will be the presidential candidate, he usually appoints his vice-presidential candidate.
This year’s presidential election will be held on November 5.
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