On January 23, former President Donald Trump won the New Hampshire GOP primary, defeating former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley by 11 points. As Haley’s campaign has gone from an afterthought to Trump’s final major competitor, media supporters of the former president have ramped up their previous attacks, which are now cresting with a chorus of right-wing media figures demanding that Haley — who they also say is a liberal in Republican’s clothing — quit the race. 

Her ongoing campaign is just “burning money” and “prolonging the inevitable,” they say, when the time has come to “unite the party.” Some have been borderline polite, calling on the ambassador to “do the right thing,” while others have pleaded for someone to “tell this loser to drop out” already.

Although Haley outperformed the New Hampshire polls, her decisive defeat among an independent-heavy primary electorate suggests that she is likely to lose the next contest, in her Trumpier home state of South Carolina. 

Haley’s right-wing critics have latched onto a similar argument, suggesting that even her distant second-place showing, delivered largely by non-Republican voters, shows that she’s a “major media psy-op” meant to undermine Trump and that she’s a “Democrat plant” who “cheated in New Hampshire” like President Joe Biden cheated Trump in 2020 (he didn't.) 

Haley being roped into false accusations of Democrats stealing elections, simply for staying in the race, highlights the prevalence of 2020 election lies in the 2024 landscape, and some major headwinds Haley faces in her longshot attempt. 

“President Trump’s had the election stolen from him,” said former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, in a recent comment reflecting the opinion of most Republican voters. “We’ve got to sort this thing out, with President Trump.”