Nikki Haley knocks Donald Trump, says he had 'the opportunity to stop' the Capitol riot

WASHINGTON — Presidential hopeful and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley took a shot at former President Donald Trump for his response during the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.

“I think Jan. 6 was a terrible day, and I think that the tone at the top matters,” Haley said in an interview that aired Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.”

“When President Trump had the opportunity to stop it, when he had the opportunity to say – the bully pulpit matters, people listen – he didn’t,” Haley added. “I hate that for the people who were there supporting him. I hate that for those of us that were watching it.”

Haley, who has at times criticized the former president, said she still thought Trump “was the right president at the right time.” But heading into 2024, nobody, she said, wants Trump’s “chaos again.”

Haley has seen rapidly increasing momentum in critical early voting states. But she and the other 2024 GOP presidential aspirants still fall behind the former president in state polls and national surveys.

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“Looking at the situation now, our country's in disarray. The world is on fire and chaos follows him,” Haley said of Trump. “And we can't have a country in chaos for four more years or we won't survive it.”

Haley has long avoided overtly attacking the former president on the campaign trail and has said her focus is on courting voters. 

“Anti-Trumpers think I don’t hate Trump enough. Pro-Trumpers don’t think I love him enough. I call it like I see it. If I agree with you on something I’m gonna say it, if I disagree with you on something, I’m gonna say it.”

From the campaign trail:Nikki Haley was once wildly popular in SC. Does she stand a chance against Trump there?