Former Gov. Nikki Haley (R-SC), a candidate for the GOP presidential nomination, said Monday on CNN’s “The Lead” that she believed former President Donald Trump was lowering recruitment numbers when he “mocks it or makes fun” of military service.
Anchor Jake Tapper said, “Governor Haley, have you talked to Major Haley? It must be annoying to be attacked like that when you’re serving your country. And, in the Horn of Africa. How is he handling it all?”
Haley said, “Well, I think the first thing is to know that he has always been with me in every election I’ve ever run. This is it’s difficult to do it without him because he’s like my right arm. So you feel like part of you is missing.”
She continued, “They have been without internet, so I was able to catch him for, a brief period of time. I saw the tweet. Just like you saw the tweet. I did not get a chance to talk to him when that happened. But I will tell you. I mean, look, he’s angry. I mean, he and his brothers and sisters, they don’t go there just because for kicks and giggles, they go there because they still believe in this amazing experiment that is America. They’re willing to go and sacrifice their lives and their families because they still believe America is worth fighting for. And when anybody mocks it or makes fun of it, it does make them all question like, what’s happening to America? And that’s a very sad state of affairs. If you want to see why recruitment is down in the military, 25%, it’s because of comments like that. It’s because of how America has treated our veterans.”
Haley added, “It’s about the fact that we don’t have their back when times like this matter. And so look, I mean, he loves our country. He’s going to do what he needs to, and so will his brothers and sisters in the military. But you should also know military family sacrifice just as much. And we are bonded together. And when things like this happen, it hurts every one of us. And that’s why this was so wrong.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN