“Don’t come with an easy question,” Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley joked when asked at a Berlin, N.H., town hall about the cause of the Civil War.
But, for most Americans, the answer is about as easy as it gets: “It was about slavery.”
Haley, however, mentioned just about everything but slavery as the spark that blew up America, instead delivering what Christina Pushaw, rapid response director for Haley’s opposition, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, called a “word salad.”
Even the inquisitive voter who asked Haley the question was astonished by her response.
“It’s astonishing to me that you answer that question without mentioning the word ‘slavery,'” he said when she was through.
“What do you want me to say about slavery?” she retorted. “Next question.”
WATCH: A voter asks Nikki Haley “what was the cause of the Civil War?” and Haley inexplicably does not mention slavery in her response.
“The cause of the Civil War was basically how government was going to run. The freedoms and what people could and couldn’t do.”
After hearing… pic.twitter.com/6swl0zJGBy
— DeSantis War Room (@DeSantisWarRoom) December 28, 2023
Slavery may have slipped her mind, but she did say that the Civil War had to do with “freedoms.”
“I think the cause of the Civil War was basically how government was going to run,” Haley began. “The freedoms and what people could and couldn’t do.”
“I think it always comes down to the role of government and what the rights of the people are,” she continued. “And I will always stand by the fact that I think government was intended to secure the rights and freedoms of the people.”
Nikki Haley: “The Civil War was about states rights”
Ummm….What exactly did those states want the “right” to do? #CivilWar #NikkiHaley #slavery pic.twitter.com/CkaSvFhVW9
— All Out Of Bubblegum (@BubblegumOut) December 28, 2023
Haley then appeared to hurl herself off track.
“It was never meant to be all things to all people,” she said of the government. “Government doesn’t need to tell you how to live your life. They don’t need to tell you what you can and can’t do. They don’t need to be a part of your life. They need to make sure that you have freedom.”
Which is why, the would-be president said, we need “capitalism.”
“We need to have capitalism. We need to have economic freedom,” she stated. “We need to make sure that we do all things so that individuals have the liberties so that they can have freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to do or be anything they want to be without government getting in the way.”
Needless to say, the voter wasn’t the only one who was astonished by Haley’s response.
Nikki Haley walking off the stage in her heels after her civil war comments pic.twitter.com/EF9Brb6EsY
— Long Monkeypox (@podiatristdon) December 28, 2023
“It was about slavery,” wrote President Biden from his personal X account.
It was about slavery. https://t.co/q9bTDvtPne
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) December 28, 2023
Washington Post staff writer Meryl Kornfield called the voter’s exchange with Haley “stunning.”
Stunning moment: At a town hall in Berlin, N.H., Nikki Haley was asked by a voter what was the cause of the Civil War. She said the war was about government interfering in people’s freedoms. The voter then called her out for not mentioning slavery. pic.twitter.com/mlrelkOgmJ
— Meryl Kornfield (@MerylKornfield) December 28, 2023
“Not stunning if you were a Black resident in SC when she was Governor,” said Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison.
“Same person who said the confederate flag was about tradition & heritage and as a minority woman she was the right person to defend keeping it on state house grounds,” he added. “Some may have forgotten but I haven’t. Time to take off the rose colored Nikki Haley glasses folks.”
Not stunning if you were a Black resident in SC when she was Governor. Same person who said the confederate flag was about tradition & heritage and as a minority woman she was the right person to defend keeping it on state house grounds.
Some may have forgotten but I haven’t.… https://t.co/D0pFqngaeO
— Jaime Harrison (@harrisonjaime) December 28, 2023
Pushaw suggested that the conservative media was attempting to smooth over Haley’s omission because former President Donald Trump is eyeing her as a potential running mate.
“Pay attention to the conservative media personalities refusing to mention (or deleting posts) about [Nikki Haley’s] latest word-salad regarding the Civil War,” she said. “They know Trump wants Haley as his running mate, so they’re under orders not to make her look stupid with her own words.”
Pay attention to the conservative media personalities refusing to mention (or deleting posts) about @NikkiHaley’s latest word-salad regarding the Civil War. They know Trump wants Haley as his running mate, so they’re under orders not to make her look stupid with her own words. https://t.co/LddK7wqxJ6
— Christina Pushaw (@ChristinaPushaw) December 28, 2023
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Melissa Fine is the former executive editor of Casino Player, Strictly Slots, and Poker
Digest magazines. She is a UCLA graduate, news junkie, and dedicated Stargate SG-
1 fan. Melissa currently lives with her dog and two cats in a tiny town in the Sierra
Nevada foothills.
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