Live updates: Nikki Haley town hall in New Hampshire | CNN Politics (2025)

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley participates in a CNN Republican Presidential Town Hall moderated by CNN’s Jake Tapper at New England College in Henniker, New Hampshire, on January 18.

Nikki Haley’s goal in New Hampshire’s Republican presidential primary Tuesday is to “be strong” and do better than she did in the Iowa caucuses, she said at aCNN town hall Thursday night at New England College in Henniker, New Hampshire.

But the former South Carolina governor stopped short of saying she needs to defeat formerPresident Donald Trumpin the Granite State primary. Polls, however, do show she is much closer to Trump in New Hampshire, where she is expected to benefit from a more moderate Republican primary electorate — with undeclared voters also able to participate in Tuesday’s contest.

Here are key takeaways from the CNN town hall:

Catch up on all of the key takeaways from the town hall with Nikki Haley.

Let’s be real: It’s all on the line for Nikki Haley in next week’s Republican primary in the Granite State. If the former South Carolina governor can’t win in New Hampshire, I’m not sure where she can win.

Here are the facts.

It goes beyond these three stats, however.

New Hampshire is custom-made for Haley. We know from the polling that Trump has struggled with Republican-leaning independents. They are expected to make up nearly 50% of the vote in next week’s primary. (This has historically been the case, and, no, registered Democrats can’t vote in the primary, unlike what Trump has said.)

We know that Trump has been relatively weak with moderate voters. They will make up far more of the GOP electorate in New Hampshire than they did in Iowa or will in any of the other early-voting states.

Trump also has issues with wealthier voters. New Hampshire Republicans tend to be on the relatively wealthy side compared to other Republican primary electorates.

Now, none of this is to say that Trump would lose the GOP nomination if Haley wins on Tuesday. He’d still be the heavy favorite to emerge as his party’s 2024 nominee.

It’s more to say that Haley has no real statistical argument for how she can win the nomination if she can’t win in New Hampshire.

During tonight’s CNN town hall, GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley repeatedly referred to rising prices squeezing American families – something borne out by the numbers.

US inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) , hit a peak of 9.1% year-over-year in June 2022, well above the 2% the Federal Reserve targets (albeit through a separate inflation measure called the Personal Consumption Expenditures price index). And while inflation has slowed down since then –the December CPIcame in at 3.4% annually – it’s still running hotter than policymakers, politicians and everyday, bill-paying Americans would like.

It’s important to note, as well, that just because the pace of price increases has slowed down, that’s not the same thing as prices actually going back down. You might not be seeing the same kind of jump in prices at the grocery store or at the mall, but you’re likely still seeing the prices for a number of things go higher.

And economists say that so-called last mile, getting inflation down that final stretch back to target, could be the trickiest bit of the Fed’s inflation fight. Housing costs are still a challenge, as mortgage rates remain elevated and housing supply scarce. And attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea could ultimately make some goods more expensive by adding costs to global shipping needs.

CNN political commentator Alyssa Farah Griffin called GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley’s remarks on race Thursday “a missed opportunity for her.”

In response to a question from CNN’s Jake Tapper during a town hall, Haley doubled down on her claim that America has “never been a racist country.”

Griffin said Republicans display “a stunning lack of leadership” when it comes to discussing race, and called on the party to be willing to learn.

“I realize there is an element of the right that does not want to be lectured about race, but element of the right needs to learn and need to grow,” Griffin said.

Haley participates in a CNN Republican Presidential Town Hall moderated by CNN’s Jake Tapper at New England College in Henniker, New Hampshire, on Thursday.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley said Thursday that it took Iran “shooting our men and women in Iraq and Syria … 130 times” for President Joe Biden to “do something” about it.

Fact’s First: Haley’s claim is false.

The first time the US took action against Iranian-backed forces on October 26 —when an F-15 fighter jet and a pair of F-16 fighters used precision-guided munitions against weapons and ammunition storage facilities linked to Iranian-backed militias in eastern Syria —US and coalition forces had come under attack 19 times in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war. Those strikes have been followed by several more, including on November 8, November 12, November 20, and December 25.

As of Thursday, there have been at least 142 attacks on US and coalition forces in Iraq and Syria since the attacks began on October 17.

Haley participates in a CNN Republican Presidential Town Hall moderated by CNN’s Jake Tapper at New England College in Henniker, New Hampshire, on Thursday.

Asked during a CNN town hall about whether she would support a recent bipartisan deal in Congress to expand the child tax credit, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley said she would want to “do it across the board and make sure that it’s fair.”

“If you’re gonna do tax credits, do it for everybody,” she said. “Don’t play favorites. Don’t pick winners and losers. That’s not what we do in America.”

Facts First: Haley is mischaracterizing how the child tax credit works. A wide swath of American families are already eligible for and claim the child tax credit. Very low-income and very high-income households don’t qualify. The congressional deal would temporarily enable lower-income families to claim more of the credit.

The child tax credit allows eligible families to reduce their tax liability by up to $2,000 per qualifying child. Theagreement calls for increasing the maximum refundable credit for those households who owe little or no income taxes.

Also, many low-income families currently receive the same child tax credit whether they have one or more kids. Under the deal, these households would receive the same credit for each of their children, just as higher-income families already do. These provisions would be in effect for three tax years, from 2023 through 2025.

The proposal would help more than 80% of the 19 million children who receive no credit or a partial one because their families earn too little, according to the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Once fully in effect in 2025, the provisions would lift at least half a million children out of poverty and improve the financial situation of about 5 million more children who would remain below the poverty line.

Some Democrats and advocates are disappointed with the deal because it wouldn’t expand eligibility for the child tax credit to all lower-income families, as the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act did for one year.

Haley participates in a CNN Republican Presidential Town Hall moderated by CNN’s Jake Tapper at New England College in Henniker, New Hampshire, on Thursday.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley once again characterized President Joe Biden’s electric vehicle policies as mandatory, saying the president’s goal is “everybody’s got to drive an electric car by 2033.”

“Americans don’t all want electric cars; quit telling them how to live,” Haley said during Thursday’s town hall.

Facts First: Haley’s claim – along with a very similar claim she made during CNN’s presidential debate earlier this month where she said Biden’s goal was for everyone to drive an EV by 2035 –is misleading. Biden has not moved forward with EV mandates, though his administration has made an aggressive push for automakers and consumers to move toward electric vehicles.

The Biden administration has proposed ambitious new tailpipe emissions regulations for automakers, offered tax credits to people who buy certain electric vehicles, investedin new electric vehicle charging stations and ordered federal entities to purchase electric vehicles, among other policies promoting the adoption of EVs. But there is no Biden requirement mandating the use of electric vehicles and no Biden proposal to prohibit citizens from continuing to use gasoline-powered engines as more EVs hit the roads.

Depending on how automakers were to respond, the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed new tailpipe rules could, if adopted, require electric vehicles to make up two-thirds of new cars sold in the US by 2032. Several blue states, including California, have passed laws banning the sale of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley participates in a CNN Republican Presidential Town Hall moderated by CNN’s Jake Tapper at New England College in Henniker, New Hampshire, on January 18, 2024.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley said there is a possibility of a two-state solution at the end of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, though she claimed Palestinians have repeatedly rejected the idea.

Haley’s comments come as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursdaydismissedthe idea of creating a Palestinian state, saying it would clash with Israel’s security, which is at odds with President Biden’s stated position.

“The Palestinians don’t want Israel to exist … Any discussions we had with them, the Palestinian Authority doesn’t want to negotiate with Israel,” she added.

Haley’s stance contrasts with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis who has criticized her for supporting a two-state solution when she was at the UN.

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley participated in a CNN town hall in New Hampshire on Thursday night.

See some of the best photos from the event:

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley speaks during the CNN town hall on Thursday.

An audience member asks a question during the town hall.

CNN's Jake Tapper hosted the town hall.

Haley answers a question during the town hall. She sought to make the case why she should be the GOP nominee.

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Nikki Haley suspends her campaign and leaves Donald Trump as the last major Republican candidate

The town hall was held at New England College in Henniker, New Hampshire.

The event took place at a pivotal moment for Haley after coming in third in the Iowa caucuses.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley participates in a CNN Republican Presidential Town Hall moderated by CNN’s Jake Tapper at New England College in Henniker, New Hampshire, on January 18.

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley pushed back against Donald Trump’s claim that she has no chance of getting the GOP nomination.

Haley added that she does not hate Trump and that she voted for him twice because she agrees with a lot of his policies.

“But rightly or wrongly, chaosfollows him.And everybody knows I’m right.And we can’t continue down thispath and go through four moreyears of chaos.We won’t survive it,” she said.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley participates in a CNN Republican Presidential Town Hall moderated by CNN’s Jake Tapper at New England College in Henniker, New Hampshire, on January 18, 2024.

GOP candidate Nikki Haley called Congress the “most privileged nursing home in the country” while arguing that both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are too old to be commander in chief.

“We don’t need to have our options be two 80-year-olds running for president. We’ve got too many issues,” she said, answering a question from voter Rip Holden who said he found Haley’s ads attacking Biden’s age rude. Biden is 81 years old and Trump is 77.

Haley argued that she was not being disrespectful, but she was “speaking the hard truth” and vowed to be a “new generational leader.”

Nikki Haley, when asked about the effect artificial intelligence could have on jobs, said “don’t look at it as good or bad.”

AI is widely expected to be a significant disruptor to jobs globally, potentiallydeepening inequalityin the process, theInternational Monetary Fund reported earlier this week. IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva wrote that AI could affect almost 40% of jobs around the world, “replacing some and complementing others,” and that there needs to be a “careful balance of policies to tap its potential.”

In October, President Joe Bidenreleased a sweeping executive orderthat sought to create standards for safety, security and privacy while also harness the technology’s potential.

Joan Jett in 1982.

GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley said rock singer Joan Jett is one of her biggest role models because “she never gave up” in the face of disapproval.

She called the “Cherry Bomb” singer “one of the first rockers, like true rockers” and detailed her rise to fame in the music industry.

Former President Donald Trump argued his GOP rival Nikki Haley had no path to the Republican nomination because she lacked the support from “Make America Great Again” Republicans.

“She’s not goingto make it.She has no chance, she’s got no way.MAGA’s not going to be with her,” Trump said in a Fox News interview with Sean Hannity that aired on Thursday.

“She would not be able to handlethat position.She would not be able to handlethe onslaught,” Trump added.

Trump repeatedly made the false claim that New Hampshire laws allow Democrats to vote in the Republican primary and argued such a scenario would benefit Haley.After attacking Haley repeatedly, Trump again said he wanted to unify the Republican Party and the nation.

“With all of that being said, withinthe Republican Party I want tobring unity, and within thenation I want to bring unity, and you know, unity is going to come from success,” Trump said.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley participates in a CNN Republican Presidential Town Hall moderated by CNN’s Jake Tapper at New England College in Henniker, New Hampshire, on January 18, 2024.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley repeated her position that America was never a racist country.

She said growing up as a “brown girl” in a small rural town, “we had plenty of racism that wehad to deal with, but my parentsnever said we lived in a racistcountry.”

Haley said she doesn’t want anyone to think that being a minority in the US is a disadvantage.

Pressed by CNN’s Jake Tapper that America, as an institution, was founded on racist precepts, Haley said, “I refuse to believe that thepremise of when (the Founding Fathers) formed ourcountry was based on the factthat it was a racist country tostart with.I refuse to believe that.”

In contrast, at a CNN town hall on Tuesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis responded to Haley’s initial comments, distinguishing he thinks the United States is “not a racist country” currently, but has “had challenges with how race was viewed.”

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley participates in a CNN Republican Presidential Town Hall moderated by CNN’s Jake Tapper at New England College in Henniker, New Hampshire, on January 18.

Former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley says she’s been a proponent of congressional term limits “for as long as I can remember.”

But she added that she thinks “Congress is never going to vote for term limits.”

If elected president, Haley said she would create a “Haley term limits pledge,” which asks anyone who files for office — including incumbents — to either sign the pledge or not. The pledge would then be shared with the general public, “that way you are empowered with the information.”

She said that when enough people who sign the pledge make it to Congress, lawmakers will then vote on term limit legislation.

“We’ll do it from the outside in. I always think the best way to move reforms forward is when you work with the people to push it from the outside in and force Congress to do the right thing,” the former South Carolina governor said.

Haley participates in a CNN Republican Presidential Town Hall moderated by CNN’s Jake Tapper at New England College in Henniker, New Hampshire, on Thursday.

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley criticized President Joe Biden’s handling of recent Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.

“All of this could have been prevented,” she said, adding that it all is provoked by Iran, which funds the Houthis.

She slammed the president for lifting the terrorist designation on the Houthis, something the Biden administration reinstated this week amid continued attacks by the Yemen-based militia.

The former United Nations ambassador said the best way to prevent war “is to deter it in the first place.”

Haley participates in a CNN Republican Presidential Town Hall moderated by CNN’s Jake Tapper at New England College in Henniker, New Hampshire, on Thursday.

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley provided an update on her father’s health, saying he is doing “much better” and is back home after being hospitalized.

“They are now watching tonight. I love you, mom and dad. And he’s doing much better,” she continued.

Haley took a brief detour from the campaign trail to fly to South Carolina on Tuesday night after her father was hospitalized.She returned to the Granite State on Wednesday night and held an event in Rochester.

In this June 2023 photo, Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley walks with her husband Maj. Michael Haley following a deployment ceremony for his unit of the South Carolina National Guard on at Johnson Hagood Stadium in Charleston, South Carolina.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley said she was finally able to get in touch with her husband, Michael Haley— who is deployed overseas — after not being able to speak with him the day of the Iowa caucuses because he didn’t have connection.

“He’s currentlydeployed. He’s in the horn ofAfrica. And you said youweren’t able to connect to himthe day of the Iowa caucuses, Iassume you’ve been able tosince? I hope? How’s he doing?” CNN’s Jake Tapper asked.

She then added that when you have a loved one deployed that it’s your “long prayer that they just come back home to you safely.”

Haley said that she’s incredibly proud of her husband and his military brothers and sisters that are serving: “God bless them for what they do.”

Haley participates in a CNN town hall at New England College in Henniker, New Hampshire, Thursday.

GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley said during CNN’s town hall that Americans“are feeling thatsqueeze”from rising prices, and that it’s not at the grocery store but also on those monthly mortgage bills. She’s right about that.

Mortgage rates spiked after March 2022, when the Federal Reserve began its historic inflation-curbing campaign of dramatic monetary policy tightening. Average mortgage rates surpassed 7% in August and ultimately peaked at 7.79% in October. As of today,they were 6.6%.

In 2019, the median monthly mortgage payment was $1,242, when factoring an average mortgage rate of 4.13% into a $320,250 median priced home, according to Bankrate citing US Census Bureau data. Right before the end of 2023, the median monthly mortgage payment was estimated at $2,361, according to Redfin, for a mortgage of the same size and with a mortgage rate of 6.61%.By those estimates, the median monthly mortgage payment is about 90% higher today than in 2019.