Sunday shows preview: Trump, Haley battle it out for South Carolina

The upcoming South Carolina GOP presidential primary will likely be the focus of this week’s Sunday news shows.

The South Carolina GOP presidential primary will happen next Saturday, with former President Trump and former Palmetto State governor Nikki Haley facing off in a race on Haley’s home turf. Despite Haley’s home-field advantage in the primary, a poll average from Decision Desk HQ/The Hill finds her at 32.5 percent, over 30 points behind her former boss at 62.5 percent.

Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), a former GOP presidential primary candidate turned Trump campaign surrogate, is set to make an appearance on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” “Fox News Sunday,” and CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday. Scott, who has faced speculation that Trump might choose him as his running mate, appeared with the former president at a rally in North Charleston, S.C., earlier this week.

Haley recently cautioned that the former president is using the Republican National Committee (RNC) to pay for his legal fees amid his multiple legal woes, and would carry on with doing so if he makes a return to the presidency.

“My biggest issue is, I don’t want the RNC to become, you know, his legal defense fund,” Haley said to CNN’s Kaitlan Collins Friday. “I don’t want the RNC to become his piggy bank for his personal court cases.”

Haley’s comments also followed Trump being ordered to pay nearly $355 million in penalties in a civil fraud case in New York Friday for inflating and deflating his business assets for tax and insurance benefits.

Haley’s own surrogate, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R), will also make an appearance on “Fox News Sunday,” while Haley herself will make an appearance on ABC’s “This Week.”

Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio), who released a statement on a “national security threat” Wednesday that caused a stir in Washington, will make an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday.

“Today, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence has made available to all Members of Congress information concerning a serious national security threat,” Turner said.

“I am requesting that President Biden declassify all information relating to this threat so that Congress, the Administration, and our allies can openly discuss the actions necessary to respond to this threat.” 

The threat was later revealed to be the development of an anti-satellite weapon by Russia, which Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Thursday was known about by Congress for “weeks.”

“This is a matter that we’ve known about for a few weeks. We requested a meeting with the president. I did — we did, in writing in January,” Johnson said at a press conference.

Congress has also been battling it out over aid to Ukraine amid its own threats faced by Russia, with the Senate having already passed a $95 billion emergency defense spending bill on Tuesday that features $60 billion for Ukraine. However, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), has indicated that it won’t make it to the House floor for a vote.

Below is the full list of guests scheduled to appear on this week’s Sunday talk shows:

ABC’s “This Week” — Former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley, a Republican presidential candidate; Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-Pa.)

NBC’s “Meet the Press” — Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.); Rep. Mike Turner, (R-Ohio.).

CBS’ “Face the Nation” — Sens. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.; Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.).

CNN’s “State of the Union” — Scott; Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.); former Rep. Liz Cheney, (R-Wyo.).

“Fox News Sunday” — Scott; Sen. Michael Bennet, (D-Colo.); Gov. Chris Sununu, (R-N.H.)

Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” — Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas); George Papadopoulos, Former Trump campaign aide; Lara Trump, ‘The Right View Podcast’ host; Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.).