Haley says Trump campaign sent her birdcage after he called her ‘birdbrain’

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley said Sunday that the Trump campaign sent a birdcage and bird food to her hotel room, a day after former President Trump called her “birdbrain.”

In a post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, Haley posted a photo of a birdcage with a large bag of food, with a sign that said, “From: Trump Campaign.”

“After a day of campaigning, this is the message waiting for me at my hotel room… #PrettyPatheticTryAgain #YouJustMadeMyCaseForMe,” Haley said in her post. 

Marc Caputo, a journalist with The Messenger, confirmed in a post on X that it was done by the Trump campaign. The Hill has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.

The post comes as Trump, the front-runner in the GOP primary campaign, has shifted his focus to target Haley, who served as his ambassador to the United Nations and as the former South Carolina governor. 

Haley has risen in the GOP presidential field, aided by her strong performance in both GOP debates.

Trump nicknamed Haley “birdbrain” in a post Friday, writing of Haley: “’I will never run against our great President,’ she said, ‘he has done an outstanding job.’ To which I responded, ‘How nice of you to say, Nikki,’ knowing full well that her words mean nothing. She even came to Mar-a-Lago with her family, ‘bearing gifts.’ Anyway, Birdbrain doesn’t have the TALENT or TEMPERAMENT to do the job. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

On Friday, Haley responded to the attack in a post on X, suggesting it showed her campaign’s momentum.

“Love this. It means we are in 2nd and moving up fast. Bring it!” she said.

Caroline Vakil contributed.

Updated at 9:33 pm.