Haley says she is ‘not thin-skinned like Donald Trump’

GOP presidential hopeful Nikki Haley said she is “not thin-skinned’ like former President Trump when asked about Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s jab at her in his announcement suspending his campaign Sunday.

Haley responded to DeSantis’s campaign announcement Sunday with CNN’s Dana Bash, who asked her what her reaction was to DeSantis saying Haley represented a “repackaged form of warmed-over corporatism.” She reiterated that she does not “take politics personally” and told Bash that DeSantis did not inform her he was dropping out before the announcement.

“And, look, this is what the fellows do. The difference is, I don’t take politics personally. I never have. And I think that’s where the problem with where we are now is now you have people who want [to] decide who is a good Republican, who is a bad Republican. Who is a good person, who is a bad person. That’s why our country is so divided,” Haley said.

She also took the chance to attack Trump in her response.

“I don’t judge people. I focus on policy that’s going to make America stronger. I don’t take politics personally. I’m not thin-skinned like Donald Trump. I think that people don’t want that. They want a leader who’s going to bring out the best in people and get our country going forward,” she continued.

DeSantis dropped out of the GOP primary Sunday, just days before the New Hampshire primary set for Tuesday. Trump later said he was “very honored” to have received the endorsement of the Florida governor in a statement to Fox News Digital.

Haley is now the only major GOP challenger to Trump remaining as she hopes for a strong performance in the Granite State on Tuesday. The former United Nations ambassador signaled she was confident she was going to be the next GOP presidential nominee in her interview with Bash on Sunday.

“We’ve got New Hampshire. We’ve got South Carolina. We’ve got Super Tuesday. We’re going to keep on going. And we’re going to fight and we’re going to win,” she said.

“I’m used to people underestimating me. It’s always fun. But there were 14 people in this race and now there are two. I’m [going to] finish this so Joe Biden and Donald Trump are not an issue at all. That we actually put them in the past and we go forward. Because our country deserves it, and Americans want it. They’re tired,” she continued.

Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said it “Sounds like she’s sensitive about being thin skinned” when The Hill reached out for comment on Haley’s remarks.

Updated at 9:08 pm.