FIRST ON FOX: Nikki Haley’s 2024 campaign says it hauled in $1 million in donations since the Republican presidential candidate responded on social media to a warning former President Donald Trump directed to GOP donors to stop contributing to Haley.
Trump, taking to his Truth Social platform on Wednesday, warned: ‘Anybody that makes a ‘Contribution’ to Birdbrain, from this moment forth, will be permanently barred from the MAGA camp. We don’t want them, and will not accept them, because we Put America First, and ALWAYS WILL!’
‘Birdbrain’ is a derogatory nickname Trump repeatedly uses to refer to Haley.
Haley, a former two-term South Carolina governor who later served as United Nations ambassador in the Trump administration, quickly responded on X, formerly known as Twitter.
‘Well in that case… donate here. Let’s Go!’ Haley wrote, as she added a link to her online fundraising page.
Haley is Trump’s last remaining major rival for the 2024 GOP nomination. She lost to the former president by 11 points in Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary, which was seen as one of her best shots at slowing down Trump’s march to the nomination.
Haley vowed in a primary night speech to continue her campaign, arguing ‘this race is far from over.’
The race now moves to her home state, with South Carolina’s Feb. 24 Republican primary the next major contest on the GOP nominating calendar.
On Wednesday night at a large rally in North Charleston, South Carolina, Haley highlighted that she hauled in $1 million in online donations in the 24 hours since her speech in New Hampshire.
‘We have had 200 thousand donors from all 50 states,’ she added. ‘Ninety-five percent of those donations are $200 or less.’
And Haley said, ‘This is real, Americans. So if you join with me, if you join this movement, if you join us in this fight, I promise you I will do exactly what I did for you when I was governor of South Carolina. And I will spend every single day trying to make you proud.’
But veteran Republican strategist Ryan Williams argued that Haley is ‘trying to manufacture momentum to keep the race going. She needed a win in New Hampshire and she didn’t get it. This race is all but decided. Raising a million dollars in the first 24 hours after New Hampshire is a nice talking point, but it really doesn’t amount to much. The race has essentially been won by Trump at this point.’
Haley’s announcement came a day after she told Fox News Digital that she brought in $1.5 million in fundraising in the day and a half after Republican presidential campaign rival and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis dropped out of the race on Sunday afternoon.
Once a long shot for the nomination, Haley grabbed momentum and saw her poll numbers surge in late summer and fall, thanks in part to well-regarded performances in the first three Republican primary debates.
As Fox News first reported earlier this month, Haley hauled in $24 million during the October-December fourth quarter of 2023 fundraising, more than doubling what she raked in during the previous three months.
Haley will head to New York City early next week to meet with some top Republican donors as she faces a steep uphill climb against Trump in the GOP nomination race.
Sources in Haley’s political orbit tell Fox News that a fundraiser on Jan. 30 co-hosted by billionaires Leonard Stern, Cliff Asness, Stanley Druckenmiller, Ken Langone and Henry Kravis remains on her schedule.
It’s one of roughly 10 fundraisers with major Republican donors on Haley’s itinerary over the next couple of weeks.
Asked about Trump’s warning to donors, a major Republican contributor and bundler told Fox News on Thursday, ‘Trump is being very aggressive about trying to dissuade people from hosting events for Haley,’ and predicted that ‘Trump is only going to get more aggressive against her.’
‘The word is out among the donor class — you’re either with Trump or you’re not,’ added the donor, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely. ‘There’s a lot of interest for Haley, but there’s also real concern for people that don’t want to be on the wrong side of things when the dust settles.’
Early Thursday, a super PAC supporting Trump’s White House run announced it brought in over $46 million in fundraising during the second half of last year.
The haul by Make America Great Again Inc. (MAGA Inc.) is a dramatic increase from the $13 million it brought in during the first half of last year.
Hours after the news MAGA Inc. news broke, the super PAC aligned with Haley had an announcement of its own.
Stand For America (SFA) Fund, Inc., reported topping its Trump super PAC rival with a $50 million fundraising haul during the second half of 2023.
Fox News’ Bryan Llenas contributed to this report.