Nikki Haley heckled by Trump supporters at CPAC

Former South Carolina Republican Gov. Nikki Haley was heckled by supporters of Donald Trump Friday after the 2024 presidential hopeful delivered a speech at the influential Conservative Political Action Conference. 

“We love Trump, we love Trump!” a crowd started chanting as Haley wandered the halls of the National Harbor, Md., hotel hosting the annual gathering of conservatives after her speech. 

A few supporters of the Trump administration’s ambassador to the United Nations responded to the heckling with shouts of “Haley!”

Amid the jeering, the 51-year-old ex-governor escaped with staff to an elevator after signing a few autographs and taking selfies with CPAC attendees, according to the Washington Post. 

Haley was one of three declared or presumed Republican presidential candidates — including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, 59, and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, 37, – who addressed the CPAC crowd Friday. 

Haley’s one-time boss, Trump, 76, who is also running for president in 2024, is scheduled to address the gathering on Saturday. 

A recent WPA Intelligence survey found that Haley received the third-most support in a hypothetical nine-person GOP primary field with 8% of people ranking her as their top choice.

That places the former South Carolina governor well behind the 44% of Republicans who backed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, 44, and the 31% who listed Trump as their preferred presidential nominee.  

During her speech, the crowd’s reception to Haley’s speech was described as “polite but tepid” by the Washington Post, with her loudest cheers coming when she called for an end to foreign aid to “countries that hate America.”