Trump campaigns with Vivek Ramaswamy, rips Nikki Haley

Former President Donald Trump lashed out at Nikki Haley Tuesday in his first campaign trail appearance with ex-rival Vivek Ramaswamy, suggesting she needs Biden supporters to “infiltrate” the New Hampshire primary to perform well.

Trump, fresh off his landslide victory in Monday’s Iowa Caucus, told supporters in Atkinson, N.H., that the former South Carolina governor “is counting on the Democrats and liberals to infiltrate your Republican primary.”

“You have a group of people coming in that are not Republican, and it’s artificially boosting her numbers here,” Trump, 77, claimed, referencing New Hampshire primary rules that allow undeclared voters to participate in the nominating contest.

The former president also slammed the speech Haley delivered after her third-place finish in Iowa, calling it “inappropriate” and “bad for unity.” 

Haley on Monday declared the primary contest to be “a two-person race” between herself and Trump, and she urged voters not to support “Republican chaos,” alluding to Trump. 

The ex-commander-in-chief argued that Haley’s supporters are “pro-Biden” and that if “she wins, Biden wins.”

“The Democrats are supporting [Haley] because she’s easy to beat,” Trump said. 

A RealClearPolitics average of polls – all taken before the Iowa Caucus – shows Haley trailing Trump by 14.2 points in the Granite State. 

Trump was joined in Atkinson by Ramaswamy, one day after the 38-year-old political newcomer suspended his presidential campaign and endorsed the 45th president after a fourth-place showing in Iowa. 

“I am asking you to do the right thing and to vote for Donald J. Trump as your next president because we don’t have a lot of time,” Ramaswamy told the crowd in a fiery eight-minute speech. 

“We need a commander-in-chief who will lead us to victory in this war,” he added. 

After his remarks, Trump praised his former rival, calling Ramaswamy “very special.” 

“He started off with a zippo and ended it very strong,” he said of the biotech entrepreneur’s polling numbers at the start of his White House run compared to Ramaswamy’s performance in the Hawkeye State. 

“He’ll be working with us for a long time,” he added.