Editor’s note: Nikki Haley suspended her campaign on March 6.
(NewsNation) — In a last-minute effort to win voters away from presidential hopeful Nikki Haley, former President Donald Trump has looked for ways to target the former South Carolina governor ahead of Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary.
Haley is the only candidate left to challenge Trump, mounting momentum in the polls on the heels of some solid endorsements, including New Hampshire’s Republican Gov. Chris Sununu.
Trump’s campaign has heavily targeted Haley, using TV advertisements to reach the state’s large bloc of unaffiliated voters and turn them away from voting for his competitor.
Democrats can’t vote in the New Hampshire GOP primary, but voters unaffiliated with a party — who make up nearly 40% of registered voters in New Hampshire — can. That makes them a key target, though they aren’t a monolith.
The ads specifically seizes on Haley’s views regarding social security and American retirement benefits.
What is Haley’s retirement plan?
The former South Carolina governor says Social Security and Medicare spending is unsustainable and proposed entitlement changes for young people to prevent the ultimate insolvency of the programs. Haley believes older Americans should not see cuts to their benefits and promised to keep programs intact for people who are in their 40s or older.
“It is unrealistic to say you’re not going to touch entitlements,” Haley said. “The thing is you don’t have to touch it for seniors and anybody near retirement. You’re talking about the new generation, like my kids coming up.”
She received some pushback after taking a controversial stand on raising the retirement age for young adults “coming into the system” in their 20s “so that it matches life expectancy.”
Haley has repeatedly called for the retirement age for younger people to be raised above age 65, but didn’t have an exact age for what the retirement age should be.
She has also advocated for expanding Medicare Advantage plans, in which private companies offer plans that are reimbursed by the government for care, to drum up competition.
She has also proposed limiting benefits for wealthier Americans as part of entitlement reform but has not specified details.
What is Trump’s retirement plan?
The former president told Republicans in Congress not to cut “a single penny” from Medicare or Social Security, encouraging Republicans to focus their funding cuts in other areas.
Trump has opposed raising taxes to support the programs and has not spelled out exactly how he would keep them solvent.
In a campaign statement, the former president said he would reduce the cost of prescription drugs and health insurance premiums, saying he “will always protect” Medicare, Social Security and patients with pre-existing conditions.
As part of his crackdown on gender-affirming care, Trump declared that health care providers that offer transitional hormones or surgery be blocked from receiving Medicaid and Medicare dollars.
How do Haley’s and Trump’s views differ?
Trump’s New Hampshire ad seizes on comments Haley made last March on the campaign trail when she proposed raising the retirement age for young people to receive Social Security benefits. Haley did not specify the new retirement age but suggested it should align with life expectancy.
Haley said at the time that seniors and individuals near retirement age should not be affected by any change.
Trump has said on the campaign trail that he would not touch Social Security or Medicare, breaking with some Republicans in the race who have said changes are needed to the programs to keep them funded for years to come.
When Trump was president, however, every one of his White House budget proposals included cuts to Social Security and Medicare programs.
“All of Donald Trump’s attack ads prove that he is terrified of Nikki Haley’s rise,” Haley’s communications director Nachama Soloveichik said in a statement to NewsNation affiliate The Hill. “This is a two-person race between Nikki’s conservative vision for a strong and proud America and Trump’s continued obsession with the chaos and drama of the past.”
Haley has dedicated time and money to New Hampshire, hoping to appeal to its independent-minded electorate. Trump has concentrated on winning decisively enough to effectively end the competitive phase of the primary.
New Hampshire, known for its independents, poses the question of whether voters will turn out in larger numbers compared to the more hardline MAGA Republican base.
NewsNation’s Tom Palmer, The Associated Press and The Hill contributed to this report.