Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley said that Donald Trump’s campaign sent her a mocking gift to follow up on the former president’s insulting new nickname for her — and while some accused her of a hoax, the Trump campaign owned up to the stunt in a text to a reporter.
On Sunday, Haley posted a photo on X — the social media platform formerly known as Twitter — showing a birdcage and some birdseed that she said was left outside of her hotel room by the Trump campaign. This was obviously a reference to how Trump insulted her as a “birdbrain” — following her second consecutive debate in which many pundits declared her the winner.
“After a day of campaigning, this is the message waiting for me outside my hotel room,” Haley tweeted, adding the hashtags #PrettyPatheticTryAgain and #YouJustMadeMyCaseForMe.
After a day of campaigning, this is the message waiting for me outside my hotel room…#PrettyPatheticTryAgain#YouJustMadeMyCaseForMe pic.twitter.com/htbSumo58r
— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) October 1, 2023
After Haley posted this tweet, conservative commentators like Matt Walsh and other pro-Trump accounts cast doubt on her claim — suggesting she was setting up a hoax reminiscent of Jussie Smollett.