'MAGA Is Not Going to Be With Her': Trump Pans Haley Ahead of New Hampshire Primary

With the Iowa Caucuses in the rearview mirror, the remaining GOP presidential hopefuls have turned their attention to the Granite State. New Hampshire's primary is this coming Tuesday, and current polling has former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley nipping at former President Donald Trump's heels, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis a distant third. The current RCP average has Trump at 46.8 percent and Haley at 33.3 percent, but Trump has held fairly steadily in that upper-40s range, whereas Haley has been steadily climbing upward since September when she was polling in the single digits.

As always, I'll note that polls are just that, and not a single vote has been cast yet. Still, they can reflect trends, and Haley's trend in New Hampshire is a positive one. But Trump's confident his lead will hold in terms of the overall race and he'll win the party's nomination.

Former President Donald Trump said Nikki Haley "has no chance" of winning the 2024 Republican nomination, telling Fox News’ Sean Hannity in an exclusive sit-down interview Thursday "MAGA is not going to be with her."

He raises a fair point. Despite serving in Trump's administration, Haley has aligned with and come to be viewed as the establishment candidate in the race, and those of a MAGA bent aren't going to be casting votes for her in the primaries. That hasn't stopped speculation regarding Haley as a potential running mate for Trump should he secure the nomination.

Trump did take the opportunity, while speaking with Hannity on Thursday, to criticize the setup in New Hampshire, which allows Democrats to cross over and vote in the Republican primary, as well as the state's governor, who's endorsed Haley.

Moderate voters in the Granite State are highly influential, and the state's independents — who can vote in either major party primary — have long played a crucial role in New Hampshire's storied presidential contest.
New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu endorsed Haley, but in an interview with Fox News’ Neil Cavuto, he said it was "troubling" that some Democratic voters will "switch" to be independents to vote in the primary.
When asked if that system "bothers" him, Trump said, "It bothers me."
"And the governor should have done something about it," Trump told Hannity, "instead of wasting his time with Nikki because she’s not going to make it. She has no chance, she’s got no way.

Trump underscored that with:

"MAGA is not going to be with her."
Trump said the state’s system is "a bad thing for us."
"Who has a system where Democrats are allowed to vote in the Republican primary?" He asked. "And New Hampshire is an incredible place. I love the people."
Trump, who won New Hampshire in 2016 and 2020, said the state is "fantastic," but it needs "a system."
"You need a governor that’s going to get it changed, not just talking about it," Trump said. "He’s talking about it for four years. Never got it done. So, Democrats are allowed to vote, which they’re going to vote for her because they don’t want to run against me. They want to run against her.
"It’s a very simple system."
But even if Democrats register as independents and vote for Haley in New Hampshire, "I don’t think it’s going to matter," Trump said.

Will New Hampshire's system leave the door open for a Haley upset? My money's on no, but we'll know for sure come Tuesday evening.