A memo from Nikki Haley’s 2024 campaign to donors refers to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as not ready for ”prime time” and needles former President Donald Trump over his Manhattan indictment, while dismissing the rest of the Republican presidential field.
The memo from Haley campaign manager Betsy Ankney begins as an update on what Haley, the former US ambassador to the United Nations, has accomplished since she formally launched her campaign in February before shifting to throwing haymakers at her rivals, according to Axios, which obtained a copy.
Taking aim at Trump, the letter recounts the former president’s campaign over the past six weeks.
“Donald Trump had a pretty good Q1, if you count being indicted as ‘good,'” Ankney writes before going on to call the criminal case brought by Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg an “outrageous prosecutorial abuse,” and note that the “sensationalized partisan prosecution” increased sympathy for Trump among Republicans.
“Still, it’s increasingly clear that Trump’s candidacy is more consumed by the grievances of the past and the promise of more drama in the future, rather than a forward-looking vision for the American people,” the memo said.
The memo also highlights the juxtaposition of Trump being arraigned in a Manhattan courtroom last week while Haley was at the southern border “offering her plan for stopping illegal immigration.”
The note then turned to the Florida governor.
“Ron DeSantis essentially launched his presidential campaign with a national book tour during this period and made one misstep after another, confirming what many observers have long suspected: he’s not ready for prime time,” it said.
“Among other things, he declared Russia’s brutal, unprovoked, and illegal invasion of Ukraine a mere ‘territorial dispute,'” Ankney went on.
As for the other confirmed and likely Republican candidates, the memo asks: “Wait, what others?”
“For months (even years) many have been touted as would-be presidential candidates. None have taken the plunge,” said Haley’s campaign manager, who also touted raising more than $11 million since she launched her run.
“We had 70,000 donations from all 50 states – thanks to our tireless candidate, our great fundraising team, our grassroots supporters, and all who donated and hosted events around the country,” Ankney wrote.
Trump hasn’t yet filed his first quarter fundraising numbers, but his campaign has said donations have been pouring in since his indictment.
In a fundraising email on Tuesday, Trump’s campaign organization said it was “EXTREMELY close to raising $15,000,000 since President Trump was indicted in a disgusting witch hunt.”
While Trump announced his bid this past Nov. 15, DeSantis is not expected to take the plunge until after Florida’s legislative session ends May 5.