'Barred permanently from MAGA': Republican crowd cheers as Trump threatens to oust them
Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley lashed out at former President Donald Trump after he pushed to install his daughter-in-law, Lara, as Republican National Committee co-chair.
Following her loss in the South Carolina primary, Haley used a new line of attack in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Monday. She argued Trump was transforming the Republican Party.
"The problem is chaos literally follows him," she explained. "He said anyone who supported me was barred permanently from MAGA."
Haley paused while the crowd cheered.
"Now think about that," she continued. "If you're running for president, your job is to bring as many people to you as possible, not push people out."
"This is about what Donald Trump is doing to the Republican Party."
Haley said Trump had "shifted" traditional Republican Party principles about spending and national security.
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"And now the Republican Party, he is replacing the head of the Republican Party with his daughter-in-law," she informed the crowd. "And he is replacing the director of operations with his campaign manager.
"And they have now announced to all of us that the RNC's sole focus is Donald Trump," she added. "Donald Trump is turning the Republican Party into his own playpen, where it's all about him. And the RNC is being turned into the fact this is a slush fund for his legal fees."
In a post to his Truth Social platform over the weekend, Trump said Haley was "demeaning to True Patriots."
"When I ran for Office and won, I noticed that the losing Candidate's "Donors" would immediately come to me, and want to 'help out,'" he wrote. "This is standard in Politics, but no longer with me. Anybody that makes a "Contribution" to Birdbrain, from this moment forth, will be permanently barred from the MAGA camp. We don't want them, and will not accept them, because we Put America First, and ALWAYS WILL!"