- Gavin Newsom wished Nikki Haley luck in her primary campaign against former President Donald Trump.
- “She’s spot-on on 99 percent of it,” the Democratic governor said of Haley’s criticism of Trump.
- Haley is Trump’s last remaining major GOP rival.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday said he’s “enjoying” the GOP primary battle between former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and former President Donald Trump.
He also implied that the ex-governor was boosting Democrats in the process.
During an interview with CNN, Newsom said he wanted to see Haley’s campaign continue past the South Carolina primary on Saturday. Haley has vowed to stay in the race through at least Super Tuesday on March 5.
“I think she’s one of our better surrogates, so I hope she stays in,” the Democratic governor said of Haley. “I hope she does well.”
Newsom then said that Haley was overwhelmingly accurate in her assessment of Trump. The former UN ambassador has attacked Trump on everything from his temperament to his push to exert more control over leadership at the Republican National Committee.
“She’s spot-on on 99 percent of it,” the governor said of Haley’s criticism of Trump. “I’m enjoying this primary and I hope it continues. So I wish her luck.”
But Newsom said he believed Trump, who’s far ahead in the polls in South Carolina and the critical Super Tuesday states, would capture the GOP presidential nomination over Haley.
“Look, Trump’s the nominee,” he said. “We all know that. Everybody out there knows that.”
During the interview, Newsom — who is a key surrogate for President Joe Biden and is widely seen as a potential 2028 presidential candidate — blasted congressional Republicans for squelching a bipartisan border security bill crafted in the Senate and backed by the president. The bill would have overhauled the US asylum system, among other measures, while providing aid to Ukraine.
“Republicans in Congress are refusing to move forward with that bipartisan immigration deal because of one person, Donald Trump,” Newsom said, pointing to the former president’s role in pushing GOP leaders to block the legislation.
“They care more about Trump’s success than addressing this fundamental issue,” he added.
