Nikki Haley rips Trump for being ‘weak in the knees’ around Putin, but vows to pardon ex-US President if…

Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley blasted her Republican presidential primary challenger Donald Trump's attitude toward Russian President, stressing that the United States “cannot have a president that gets weak in the knees with Vladimir Putin".

“Every time he was in the same room with him he got weak in the knees,” Haley said while addressing Fox News town hall in South Carolina. “We can’t have a president that gets weak in the knees with Putin. We have to have a president that’s going to be strong with Putin in every sense of the word.”

Haley's remarks came after the tragic death of Russian opposition leader and staunch Putin critic Alexei Navalny, 47, at a remote Arctic jail cell last week. Many foreign leaders, including US President Joe Biden blamed Putin for the tragedy. However, Trump has remained silent on his death.

Therefore, Haley too raised doubts on the Russian President, adding Trump, who has frequently praised Putin, “needs to answer whether he thinks Putin is responsible for Navalny.”

Also Read: Nikki Haley warns Trump attempting to control RNC & use it as 'piggy bank' for personal legal woes

Nikki Haley says ‘I would pardon Trump if…’

In order to unify America, Haley further vowed to pardon four-times-indicted Trump if she win against him in the Republican Primary and defeat Biden in November elections.

“I would pardon Donald Trump because I think it’s important for the country to move on,” she said.

"We’ve got to leave the negativity and the baggage behind. I don’t want this country divided any further. I don’t think it’s in the best interest for America to have an 80-year-old president sitting in jail and having everybody upset about it," she added.

Trump is facing many federal cases including election tampering, the January 6 riots, and falsifying business documents.

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South Carolina primary: Trump vs Haley

Ahead of the Republican presidential primary in South Carolina on February 24, where polls have indicated that she trails by a huge margin, Haley has promised to go national even in the most difficult situation.

Despite significant defeats in Iowa, New Hampshire, and Nevada, as well as the enormous odds she faces in her home state of South Carolina, Haley shows no indications of giving up. She is still collecting funds and expanding her national footprint, as she vows to propel her party over Trump.

"He said he's going to spend more time in a courtroom than he is going to be on the campaign trail," stated Haley on Friday while referring to the hours Trump spent in courts facing criminal and civil cases. “But let me tell you what we are going to be doing. We are going to be on the campaign trail.”