Haley weighs in on Trump defamation verdict: ‘America can do better’

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley responded to the news of former President Trump and her fellow GOP competitor’s verdict in his defamation case where he has been ordered to pay $83.3 million.

“Donald Trump wants to be the presumptive Republican nominee and we’re talking about $83 million in damages. We’re not talking about fixing the border. We’re not talking about tackling inflation,” Haley said in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “America can do better than Donald Trump and Joe Biden.”

Haley’s post comes just after a federal jury in New York ordered Trump to pay columnist E. Jean Carroll after defaming her accusation that he sexually assaulted her in the 1990s.

It’s the second time Trump has awarded Carroll damages, adding to the previous $5 million verdict last year that found Trump liable for sexually abusing her and defaming her over a separate comment.

The recent trial has become intertwined with the GOP primary, beginning the day after Trump won the Iowa caucuses and proceeding past his win in New Hampshire this week. Trump, who was not required to attend, has made a point of showing up to the trial instead of being on the campaign trail.

Haley, the last remaining candidate challenging the former president, has doubled down in her fight. After coming in second in New Hampshire, a state she was polling well in after earning the coveted endorsement from Gov. Chris Sununu (R), she said the fight was “far from over.”

Haley and Trump next face off in the South Carolina primary on Feb. 24. It’s Haley’s home state, where she previously was governor, but Trump is polling far ahead, The Hill/Decision Desk HQ report.