In an exchange at last night’s 2024 Republican primary debate, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley called upstart candidate Vivek Ramaswamy “scum” after Ramaswamy called out her daughter’s use of TikTok during a debate about the app.
Haley and Ramaswamy have feuded on stage before. In the previous debate, Haley told Ramaswamy that every time she heard him speak, she got a little “dumber.”
This time, she upped the ante.
In a question about banning TikTok—which has come under fire during the Israel-Palestine war—Ramaswamy turned his response into a barb on Haley, who said she didn’t answer a previous question about “looking families in the eye.”
He then proceeded to mention how she called him out previously for joining TikTok—calling his behavior “infuriating”—and implying that she was hypocritical, as her daughter used the app.
“Her own daughter was using the app for a long time… you might wanna take care of your family first,” Ramaswamy said.
“Leave my daughter out of your voice,” Haley responded.
“You’re just scum,” Haley said, as Ramaswamy tried to respond.
Ramaswamy also called Haley “Dick Cheney in three-inch heels” during a fight over foreign policy.
But the millennial entrepreneur drew praise for other remarks, especially when he called the GOP a “party of losers” after its shocking slate of losses in Tuesday’s election.
Both Haley and Ramaswamy still largely trail in the polls against both the second-place candidate, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), as well as former President Donald Trump, who has yet to take place in a debate, but still holds a substantial lead.
The next Republican debate is slated for Dec. 6.
