Trump recruits South Carolina leaders to undermine Haley ahead of N.H. primary

Former president Donald Trump speaks Saturday at a campaign rally in Manchester, N.H. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

MANCHESTER, N.H. — The New Hampshire primary may be two days away, but Donald Trump is surrounding himself with South Carolina Republicans.

A day after receiving the endorsement of Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), a former opponent, Trump on Saturday deployed an even larger show of support from South Carolina to try to undercut former U.N. ambassador and South Carolina governor Nikki Haley here in New Hampshire and assert his dominance in the primary, which heads to the Palmetto State next month.

Standing before hundreds of people at a rally here, Trump was joined onstage by South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster; Pamela Evette, the state’s lieutenant governor; Alan Wilson, the state’s attorney general; South Carolina House Speaker Murrell Smith; and Curtis Loftis, the state treasurer. Reps. Russell Fry, William Timmons and Joe Wilson, all U.S. House members from South Carolina, also flanked the former president.

Trump introduced the officials, praising each of them and highlighting their rank in Haley’s home state. He emphasized that they had come to New Hampshire to support him because they “understand that I am the only candidate in this race who can save America from every single Biden disaster starting on Day One.”

“To the people of New Hampshire: All you need to know about Nikki Haley is that every globalist, liberal, Biden supporter and ‘Never Trumper’ is on her side — and virtually every single leader … in her home state of South Carolina is on our side. We have almost everybody,” he said after four of them, including McMaster, spoke on his behalf.

Trump joked that he had invited the South Carolina leaders to attempt to get in their good graces ahead of the state’s primary next month. “I’m kissing a--,” he said, laughing.

McMaster said he and the South Carolina delegation were here to make the point that the majority of the people of South Carolina were with Donald Trump — not the former governor.

“That’s why we are here. We are here for one reason: Those great philosophers, the Spice Girls, tell us what you want, what you really, really want. Well that’s what we’re here to do, to tell you what we in South Carolina want,” said McMaster, 76, quoting the British pop group’s song “Wannabe,” which was met with a standing ovation from the crowd.

“New Hampshire is for Trump. South Carolina is, too. We’ll see you at the finish line,” he said.

Haley on Saturday waved off Trump’s efforts to undermine her ahead of his rally with the delegation from her home state. When Haley was specifically asked about the decision by McMaster — who served as lieutenant governor during her time as governor — to come to campaign for Trump, she quipped in response: “I’m sorry, is that the person I ran against for governor and beat? Just checking.”