Which is worse for Nikki Haley’s reputation — being associated with the president politically or Donald Trump sexually?
The governor-turned-U.N.-ambassador sometimes differs with the commander in chief on policy, but when its comes to rumors of an affair — she comes out swinging.
“It is absolutely not true,” Haley told Politico’s Women Rule podcast.
The South Carolina politician responded directly to “Fire and Fury” author Michael Wolff’s remark to Bill Maher that his book contained hints of an affair.
“Readers quickly homed in on a single sentence in the runaway best-seller,” Politico noted. “Wolff writes, ‘The president had been spending a notable amount of private time with Haley on Air Force One and was seen to be grooming her for a national political future.’”
Says Haley, 46: “I have literally been on Air Force One once and there were several people in the room when I was there. He says that I’ve been talking a lot with the president in the Oval about my political future. I’ve never talked once to the president about my future and I am never alone with him.”
Politico says Haley was “plagued by accusations of an extramarital relationship during her campaign for South Carolina governor and in her early governorship.”
She turned this into a punch-back line.
“I saw this as a legislator. I saw this when I was governor. I see it now. I see them do it to other women,” she said. “And the thing is, when women work, they prioritize, they focus, and they believe if you’re gonna to something, do it right.”
“Others see that as either too ambitious or stepping out of line. And the truth is, we need to continue to do our job and if that means they consider it stepping out of line, fine. And if that means they’re gonna throw stones, people see lies for what it is. Do I like it? No. Is it right? No. Is it gonna slow me down? Not at all.
“Every time this has happened, it only makes me fight harder. And I do it for the sake of other women that are behind me because they should never think that they have to put their head down and cower out of fear that somebody’s gonna do something to you.”
Selected reactions:
If Michael Wolff didn’t have enough evidence to state as fact that Haley was having an affair, his going around strongly hinting at it for attention seems really skeezy and unethical https://t.co/ScJgtd1bpR
— HE HATE ME (@HashtagGriswold) January 26, 2018
It’s absolutely disgusting & unacceptable to suggest @nikkihaley had an affair with Trump; she has clearly been 100% focused on betraying the community she comes from by supporting his openly white supremacist agenda and it’s offensive to suggest otherwise.
— Anil Dash (@anildash) January 26, 2018
On this Nikki Haley and Melania would probably agree, sex with Trump is “disgusting.”
— Take Ivanka to Work (@IvankaToWorkDay) January 26, 2018
still waiting for the feminists to defend Nikki Haley for the false accusations made against her like they did Hillary Clinton after literally every accusation made against her. Or does that only happen when you’re a woman who doesn’t work for Donald Trump?
— silence dogood (@toolittobealib) January 26, 2018
We all know Hope Hicks is the one having the affair with Trump. Nikki Haley is trying to divert attention from the real Hope Hicks story.
— Rolling_Podium (@Rolling_Podium) January 26, 2018
Dam, Now Trump is being accused of having an affair with Nikki Haley, He could lose his base over this, White supremacy groups don’t approve of interracial relationship’s. pic.twitter.com/MbUe08zpiH
— Dale Callihan (@dale_callihan) January 26, 2018