Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley started her campaign speech in Los Angeles with gratitude and a mistake.
“It’s great to be here in Orange County!” Haley said as she took the stage.
But the former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador was met quickly with shouts and laughter from the audience of about 150 people. She was actually in Los Angeles County, speaking to voters at the Hollywood American Legion, a veteran’s center. This event was one stop on her visit to California ahead of Super Tuesday.
“I was in Orange County earlier,” she said. “I don’t even know where I’m sleeping these days. You’ve got to forgive me on that.”
Despite the misstep, Haley was quick to call out former President Donald Trump, or as she called him: one last “fella” to defeat in her race for the nomination. Last month, Trump posted on the social media platform Truth Social that anyone who contributes to Haley’s campaign will be “permanently barred from the MAGA camp.”
“When someone runs for president, this is supposed to be a story of addition,” she said. “You’re supposed to be bringing people in, not pushing people out of your club.”
The event was the day after Haley suffered a major loss in the Nevada primary, finishing in second place to the “none of these candidates” option. Trump didn’t compete in that race.
While Haley didn’t mention her loss in Nevada, she criticized Trump’s reaction to her second-place finish in New Hampshire. Haley received 43% of the vote, just behind Trump with 54%.
“The night of New Hampshire, he was all upset because he thought I was going to be 30 points down,” she said. “And all he did was have a total temper tantrum on stage, talking about revenge.”
But while Haley hosted a couple of events across Southern California this week, a recent primary rule change could prevent her from gaining a single delegate from the Golden State.
A GOP rule switch approved in 2023 will allocate all 169 California delegates to the candidate that wins the majority of primary votes instead of allocating delegates proportionally according to voting results. That means Haley would have to beat Trump in California in order to gain any of the delegates from the state with the most sway.
She spent the rest of her 30-minute speech calling for more transparency in the classroom, tighter borders, solutions to the fentanyl crisis and improved veteran health care. Throughout her speech, attendees’ devices were ringing with emergency alert warnings regarding flash floods and thunderstorms as the rain came down outside.
Haley was also interrupted in the middle of her speech by a climate protester saying she’s “selling out to the fossil fuel industry” and holding up a sign claiming she’s a “climate criminal.” The protester was part of the Sunrise Movement seen at Republican presidential candidate events across the country, including at campaign events leading up to the Iowa caucuses last month.
The protester was escorted out of the room after he stood up and started shouting toward the stage.
“Don’t ever get upset when you see a protestor like that because my husband and his military brothers and sisters sacrifice every day for them to have the right to do that,” Haley said, referencing her husband Michael, a National Guardsman serving a yearlong deployment in Africa.
Haley’s next stop is her home state of South Carolina. She has campaign events throughout the state leading up to the Republican primary on Feb. 24. Despite her ties to the Palmetto State, latest polls have Trump in a large lead ahead of Haley.
Despite her highly unlikely chances of clinching the GOP presidential nomination, supporters at her L.A. rally Wednesday night were in high spirits and excited to support her candidacy.
William E. Pascarella Jr. — a 63-year-old resident of San Gabriel — waited in line after Haley’s speech for a chance to talk with her and shake her hand. After meeting her, he said he was “rejuvenated” and “filled with hope.”
A Navy veteran who served for six years, Pascarella was especially interested in her messaging about veteran health care and border policies. He also said he’s done with “Trump’s drama” and ready to support a new face that might be able to unite the country.
“It seems like she might be somebody who can help pull things together,” Pascarella said after meeting Haley. “People that support Trump despise Biden. People that support Biden despise Trump. Voting for either person, to me, is going to continue the separation of this country.”
Darene Jones, 72, drove for an hour and a half from Brea with her husband for the chance to see Haley. She was mostly interested in her policies regarding education and classroom transparency.
Jones said she voted for Trump previously, but now she said he’s “out of control” and has become self-centered over the years.
“I don’t feel like he’s out for the country. I think he’s out for himself,” Jones said. “I think he was out for the country before. I really do. But I think now he’s just about himself.”
While Jones conceded that Haley didn’t have a likely chance of winning California’s primary, she still felt it was important to show up and support her.
“We have to change,” Jones said. “There has to be a change sometime. If we all just sit back and say, ‘Well, she doesn’t have a chance’ — it’ll never change.”
Haley ended her speech calling for courage in preparation for Super Tuesday, emphasizing that she’s not backing down and that she’s in this race for the long haul.
“This is going to be messy,” Haley said at the end of her speech. “This is going to hurt, and it’s going to leave some bruises. But at the end of the day, I don’t mind taking that if you’ll go right along with me.”