Nikki Haley is trolling Donald Trump after he warned that all donors to her campaign would be “permanently banned from the Maga camp”.
Less than 24 hours after Mr Trump’s threat, Ms Haley flipped the attack into a campaign merchandise opportunity, announcing that she is now selling T-shirts with “Barred. Permanently.” emblazoned across them.
“Enough said…Grab your shirt here!” Ms Haley said in a post on X, along with a link to buy a T-shirt.
“Donald Trump said if you support me, he will permanently bar you from the Maga camp,” Ms Haley wrote on the website.
“I will not be intimidated. Chip in $5 to get your “BARRED PERMANENTLY” t-shirt and show him YOUwon’t be either.
“This isn’t a coronation. This is an election. I have always been the underdog and I have always fought back. I’m not stopping now! Chip in and let’s do this!”
On Wednesday evening, Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social: “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!”
Ms Haley responded to the former president’s threat almost instantly, writing on X: “Well in that case… donate here. Let’s Go!”
Posting a link to her donation page, she added that her campaign had already raised $1m in the 24 hours since the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday.
Mr Trump’s threat against Ms Haley’s supporters comes as he steps up pressure on his sole remaining rival in the Republican race, following his wins in both Iowa and New Hampshire.
Mr Trump sailed to victory over Ms Haley in the New Hampshire primary, with 54.4 per cent to 43.3 per cent.
But despite her loss, Ms Haley has vowed to stay in the Republican race for the presidential nomination.
“This race is far from over,” she told supporters on Tuesday.
Her decision to stay in the race seemed to rile up Mr Trump, who labelled Ms Haley an “imposter” who is still “hanging around” despite her loss, during his victory speech on Tuesday.
But Ms Haley’s defiance could be short-lived, with billionaire donors to her campaign rumoured to have closed their wallets following her failure to win the New Hampshire primary.
Reid Hoffman, the billionaire co-founder of LinkedIn, who gave a six-figure sum to Ms Haley’s campaign, is one such donor who is rumoured to have pulled out, according to multiple reports.
However, some donors saw Mr Trump’s attack on Ms Haley as a further reason to support her.
Philanthropist Simone Levinson told The Financial Times that Mr Trump’s victory speech “was a sobering reminder of… why he has not won a race, or brought our country together, since his election in 2016”, and affirmed her support for the former UN ambassador.
Meanwhile, former Trump campaign staffer Sarah Matthews, who left the Trump administration after the January 6 attack on the Capitol, announced she was donating to Ms Haley’s campaign.
