The town hall meeting was over. Nikki Haley had put down the microphone more than half an hour ago, but she was still going strong. She shook hands, hugged, smiled, posed for the umpteenth selfie, took a piece of paper handed to her and examined it with a serious expression, said a kind word, smiled again. An electoral decathlon. One by one, the Republican primary candidate for the November 2024 US presidential election turned on the charm for each person in front of her.
Behind her in the barn where the event was held, a large American flag, two haystacks, a tractor and a truck had been arranged for the cameras. With four weeks to go until the opening of the Republican primaries in Iowa, scheduled for January 15, 2024, Haley is trying to keep a fragile flame alive – the hope that the selection of Donald Trump as the party's nominee is not inevitable.
That flame is threatening to go out. Polls have Trump leading by more than 50%, including in Iowa. Far behind, at under 20%, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Haley are tearing each other apart for second place.
On December 17, however, the latter candidate displayed a defiant spirit. Calm and steady, she spoke without notes, in a conversational tone, in front of about 100 people living mostly in the vicinity of Waukee, near Des Moines, the state capital. The former governor of South Carolina and ambassador to the United Nations, appointed by Trump, recounted her journey, her political rise and her ability to thwart unfavorable predictions.
Her proposals are based on a sharp-edged conservatism, mixed with a touch of compassion, for example for wounded veterans returning from Afghanistan or Iraq. The fight against public spending is a top priority. She promotes the exploitation of all underground energy resources, without a word for the climate emergency, the great denial shared by the right. To distinguish herself, she has proposed term limits and a cognitive test for candidates over 75.
Above all, Haley wants to present herself to as many people as possible, distancing herself from Trump without engaging in head-on opposition, which would alienate her from a large part of the Republican base. It's an exercise in rhetorical flexibility in which she is well versed, leading her to avoid any reference to the former president's indictments in four investigations. "Trump can explain and defend himself, but Nikki Haley offers us in Iowa and the whole country an alternative vision of government, a choice, and that resonates," explained David Oman, a veteran of the Republican apparatus in Iowa and chief of staff to two governors.
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