Happening this Monday: Drone attack kills 3 U.S. troops in Jordan, President Biden vows to retaliate… Biden campaign starts planning fundraiser featuring Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Biden, per NBC’s Carol E. Lee, Monica Alba and Kristen Welker… Nikki Haley, on “Meet the Press,” says RNC has not been an honest broker… And it was a busy weekend of campaigning for Biden, Haley and Donald Trump.
But FIRST… Nikki Haley said she doesn’t have to beat Donald Trump in South Carolina; all she has to do is perform better there than she did in New Hampshire last week.
That’s the bar Haley set for herself in her interview Sunday on “Meet the Press,” after NBC’s Kristen Welker asked the former United Nations ambassador if she needed to win her home state of South Carolina next month to stay in the race.
“What I do think I need to do is I need to show that I’m building momentum. I need to show that I’m stronger in South Carolina than New Hampshire,” Haley answered. “Does that have to be a win? I don’t think that necessarily has to be a win. But it certainly has to be better than what I did in New Hampshire, and it certainly has to be close.”
If you recall, Haley got 43% of the vote in New Hampshire — so she’s saying she needs to capture at least 44% of the GOP primary vote in South Carolina.
If you also recall, there are fewer moderates and independents who are expected to participate in South Carolina than we saw in New Hampshire — so getting 44% might be harder for her than it sounds.
Even if you consider it a low bar, given that South Carolina is her home state and that she’s already 0-2 versus Trump.
Other takeaways from the interview:
Haley said she has every intention of continuing her campaign through Super Tuesday “as long as I keep growing per state.”
She refused to say that the E. Jean Carroll defamation verdict against Trump should be disqualifying to voters. “I think the American people decide [what] should be disqualifying... I have always said I think Donald Trump has the right to be on the ballot. I’ve always said I trust the American people.”
And she said Trump was “in decline,” explaining: “We need someone who can serve a strong eight years to get our country back on track. You can’t do that with him. And I think it’s not being disrespectful. It’s the fact that when you’re 80, you are declining.”
Headline of the day
The number of the day is … 3
That’s the number of U.S. troops who were killed in a drone attack in Jordan over the weekend, while more than 30 servicemembers were injured, NBC’s Courtney Kube, Caroline Kenny, Mirna Alsharif and Daniel Arkin report.
The strike hit a logistics support base, where about 350 troops from the Army and Air Force are stationed.
Biden responded to the attack during a speech at Brookland Baptist Church in Columbia, S.C., over the weekend, leading a moment of silence and vowing that the U.S. “shall respond.”
While the Islamic Resistance in Iraq took credit for several drone strikes against Americans in the region, on Sunday, it’s not clear that they’re responsible for the death of these U.S. soldiers, Kube, Kenny, Alsharif and Arkn write.
Eyes on November: Weekend campaigning for Biden, Trump and Haley
President Joe Biden, Donald Trump and Nikki Haley all hit the campaign trail over the weekend with primaries in both parties fast approaching.
Biden traveled to South Carolina, where he attended the state Democratic Party’s “First in the Nation” dinner ahead of the Palmetto State’s Feb. 3 Democratic primary. Biden stressed his work to bolster Black Americans and said democracy “really is at stake for the first time in a long time.”
Trump, meanwhile, traveled to Las Vegas on Saturday for a rally ahead of the state’s Feb. 8 caucuses (as a reminder, Haley is participating in the Feb. 6 primary instead of the caucuses, so she will not be able to earn any delegates awarded through the results of those caucuses).
Trump focused most of his speech on the southern border, but briefly referenced the Friday ruling that he must pay $83 million in damages to writer E. Jean Carroll as part of the defamation trial, decrying it as “election interference,” per NBC’s Jake Traylor.
Haley held two rallies in her home state of South Carolina, which will hold its GOP primary on Feb. 24. She sharpened her attacks against Trump, imploring him to “man up” and debate her, and criticizing his “temper tantrums,” per NBC’s Sarah Dean.
Dean also reports that Haley said her campaign raised $4 million last week, the biggest fundraising week of her campaign, bringing in $1 million in the 24 hours after the New Hampshire primary, $1.6 million after Trump’s threat against Haley donors, and $1.4 million amid news of a proposed RNC resolution declaring Trump the presumptive nominee.
In other campaign news …
Three presidents walk into a fundraiser: Biden’s campaign is attempting to hold a “headline-grabbing” fundraiser featuring Biden and former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, write NBC’s Carol E. Lee, Monica Alba and Kristen Welker.
Biden vs. Trump: The New York Times delves into Biden’s plan to take on Trump, which includes appealing to Taylor Swift for a potential endorsement.
It’s the economy, stupid: White House officials “say they’re increasingly confident the situation on the ground can largely speak for itself” as the economy improves, writes NBC’s Christine Romans.
Donor drama: Trump and Haley’s campaigns have been invited to meet this week with a group of GOP donors known as the American Opportunity Alliance, per the New York Times. And Politico reports that donors behind American for Prosperity Action were told that the group would keep supporting Haley in South Carolina, but that defeating Trump would be difficult.
Friends in Low(country) places: The New York Times explores why Haley has such little public support from South Carolina officials.
Livin’ on a prayer: Republican pastor Ryan Binkley spoke to Politico about his longshot presidential bid, noting, “Obviously I would love to win some votes.”
Searching for a home: Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., who is not seeking re-election this year, is still considering a run for president on a potential third-party ticket and sees a role for himself “as a national icon in the ‘fiscally responsible and socially compassionate’ middle,” CNN reports.
Ad wars underway: Senate Majority PAC, a group backing Democratic Senate candidates, is placing its first TV ad reservations in Montana and Nevada to support Democratic Sens. Jon Tester of Montana and Jacky Rosen of Nevada, per Politico.
Border talks: Sen. Krysten Sinema, I-Ariz., has not said if she’s running for re-election, but her potential opponents weighed in on her role in a potential bipartisan immigration deal, NBC’s Alex Tabet reports from Phoenix.
Heated primary: Ahead of New Jersey’s Senate primary to take on embattled Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez, First Lady Tammy Murphy is considering a way to appear on the ballot alongside President Joe Biden, even though the president doesn’t plan to endorse in the primary, Politico reports.
Red to Blue: The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee named 17 House candidates to its “Red to Blue” program, which supports Democratic challengers, NBC’s Sahil Kapur reports.
Line of attack: Republicans are seizing on illegal immigration and the migrant crisis as their leading line of attack against former Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi, who is running in a special election to replace ousted Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y.
ICYMI: What ELSE is happening in the world:
As a second potential Trump presidency looms, this is a “make or break” year for Ukraine in the country’s war against Russia, NBC’s Keir Simmons and Henry Austin report.
House Republicans released impeachment articles against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over the weekend, NBC’s Kyle Stewart and Megan Lebowitz report.
Americans should not “toss someone out of our public discourse,” for saying that Israel is committing genocide in its war against Hamas, New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said on “Meet the Press” on Sunday.
