Haley makes new pitch for Trump to debate as she casts vote in South Carolina

GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley pressed former President Trump once again to agree to a debate, as she cast her ballot in her home state’s primary.

“I think it’s great for the Republican Party to have this competition,” she said in an interview clip in South Carolina, highlighted by Mediaite. “The only thing that’s lacking in this, is Donald Trump getting on a debate stage. He should get on a debate stage.”

Her comments came just before Trump was projected to handily win the Palmetto State’s GOP primary, according to an exit poll conducted by The Hill’s partner Decision Desk HQ.

Despite her lack of wins this election cycle, the former South Carolina governor has vowed to stay in the race until Super Tuesday. Before the polls closed Saturday, Haley pledged to continue on.

“South Carolina will vote on Saturday, but on Sunday I will still be running for president,” she said earlier this week.

Trump has not attended any Republican primary debates — whether sanctioned by the Republican National Committee (RNC) or unsanctioned — citing his overwhelming lead in the polls.

Haley has continuously pressed the former president to agree to debate, once calling on him to “bring it” and show her “what you got.”

During a town hall with Fox News’s Laura Ingraham earlier this week, Trump said he only sees it as an obligation to attend general election debates. The former president, who is gearing up for a rematch against President Biden, added he’d be willing to do “as many as necessary” after winning the nomination.

Haley predicted Friday that even if Trump win’s the RNC’s nomination, he will not win beat Biden.

“Donald Trump will not win the general election,” Haley said on CNN’s “The Lead” during an interview with anchor Jake Tapper. “You can have him win any primary you want — he will not win a general election.”

“We will have a female president of the United States; it will either be me or it will be [Vice President] Harris,” she added.