Republican presidential contender Nikki Haley remains unfazed by Republican Vivek Ramaswamy’s use of her given name on his campaign site. Ramaswamy labeled Haley as “lying Namrata” (with a spelling error), a move seemingly related to her Indian heritage.
As per a report from Fox News, the misspelled name on his site has now been rectified. The former governor of South Carolina and former U.N. ambassador conveyed her choice to steer clear of “juvenile verbal attacks.”
“Ramaswamy should know better than that,” Haley remarked during a Fox News interview.
Under the banner of “TRUTH. Over myth,” Ramaswamy’s campaign site seeks to counter Haley’s critiques of his foreign policy positions. A significant area of disagreement revolves around Ramaswamy’s stance on American backing for Israel.
Haley broached this matter in the initial Republican presidential nomination debate and subsequently at a community gathering in Indian Land, South Carolina.
“WRONG. Keep lying, Namrata (sic) Randhawa,” Ramaswamy said on his website, the report noted. “The desperation is showing.”
The name “Nimarata Randhawa” seems to be a nod to Haley’s birth name, omitting “Nikki,” her legal middle name.
“I mean, he of all people should know better than that,” declared Haley. “But I’ve given up on him knowing better than anything at this point.”
Reportedly, a representative from the Ramaswamy campaign refuted any malicious intent behind the choice to make her name public.
“How is he making fun of her name?” the spokesperson asked. “His name is Vivek Ramaswamy.”
Matt Whitlock, who was previously linked with the National Republican Senatorial Committee, weighed in on the matter, suggesting that countering with Nikki Haley’s original name appeared unwarranted. He further noted that such strategies are usually used by those alleging that Haley is hiding her cultural background, oblivious to the fact that “Nikki” is her true first name.
In the debate, Haley stood out as the only candidate to accurately pronounce “Vivek.”
Saat Alety from Fed Hall Policy Advisors conveyed his perplexity regarding the utilization of Haley’s maiden name as a derogatory reference.
“Nikki is an extremely common name in Punjabi culture – and it’s her middle name,” said Alety. “Sad to see this from an Indian-American, @VivekRamaswamy.”
During the debate, Haley criticized Ramaswamy for his lack of foreign policy experience.
“He wants to hand Ukraine to Russia, he wants to let China eat Taiwan, he wants to go and stop funding Israel. You don’t do that to friends,” she said of Ramaswamy.
Ramaswamy countered by emphasizing the strength of the U.S.-Israel relationship.
“Our relationship with Israel would never be stronger than by the end of my first term, but it’s not a client relationship, it’s a friendship,” he countered.
