A campaign official revealed on Monday that Donald Trump’s rival Nikki Haley has sought for Secret Service protection as the volume of threats against her has escalated. Haley has been the subject of at least two fake calls that have caused the cops to race to her home.
His sole remaining opponent for the Republican presidential nomination is Ms. Haley, a former South Carolina governor and ambassador to the UN under former President Donald J. Trump, following defeats in Iowa and New Hampshire. On the campaign trail, the two have been at odds with one another, and on February 24, they will face off in a contentious primary in her home state.
Trump’s supporters have been known to attack his political opponents with racist messages, death threats and “swatting” calls, or fake reports of emergencies at their homes. But officials with Ms. Haley’s campaign would not release any more information about the number or kinds of threats she has received. Haley could also be a target because of her work in Iran as a United Nations ambassador.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the move, Haley said only that her team had seen “multiple issues.” “It’s not going to stop me from doing what I need to do,” she said.
Presidential candidates typically receive Secret Service protection around the time they win their party’s nomination. In 2007, Barack Obama, then a senator, was assigned protection nine months before voting began in the primaries.
Ms. Haley has increased security at her events in recent weeks. In South Carolina, reports filed with the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office show that deputies have responded to at least two bogus reports at her home on Kiawah Island since December.
