Trump promotes baseless birther questions as Haley rises in polls

As Iowa caucuses approach, Trump’s attacks on Haley have ramped up
Trump reposted a baseless theory about Haley
It’s not the first time Trump has pushed ‘birther’ claims

Updated: Jan 10, 2024 / 07:29 PM CST

Nikki Haley, former ambassador to the United Nations and 2024 Republican presidential candidate, speaks during a Lady Hawkeyes tailgate event at Iowa Athletic Club in Coralville, Iowa, US, on Saturday, Dec. 30, 2023. Haley sought to tamp down controversy over remarks that failed to list slavery as the cause of the US Civil War, following criticism from both Democrats and Republicans. Photographer: Sergio Flores/Bloomberg via Getty Images

(NewsNation) — Former President Donald Trump promoted a baseless “birther” conspiracy theory against former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.

On Monday, Trump reposted a report from The Gateway Pundit suggesting Haley may not be eligible to serve as president because her parents, who immigrated from India, were not U.S. citizens at the time of her birth. Haley is a U.S. citizen who was born in the U.S. in 1972 and is eligible to run for president.

It’s not the first time Trump has pushed birther claims. He spread the false claim that then-President Barack Obama was not born in the U.S. He also claimed during the 2016 GOP primary that Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, was born in Canada.

Trump’s post about Haley comes as he’s ramped up attacks on his political rival who has seen a recent surge in national polls. The latest FiveThirtyEight poll reports Trump at 61% with Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis hovering at around 12%.

The Hill contributed to this report.