spousal abuse

Trump knocks Haley for lack of husband on campaign trail… but where’s Melania?

Nikki Haley, Donald Trump and Melania Trump
Nikki Haley, Donald Trump and Melania Trump (Photos: Shutterstock)

At a South Carolina rally on Saturday, Donald Trump again knocked Republican rival Nikki Haley. As usual with Trump, his criticism was personal. On this occasion, he mocked Haley over the fact her husband rarely joins her on the campaign trail.

“Where’s her husband?” Trump said. “‘Oh, he’s away, he’s away.’ What happened to her husband? What happened to her husband? Where is he? He’s gone.”

Haley’s husband is away on military deployment. He’s an officer with the SC National Guard and is currently deployed with the 218th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade in Africa.

Watch the clip below.

Trump is an “a**hole”

Reaction to Trump’s comment was swift, including from some on the right.

Scott Jennings, a former aide to George W. Bush, appeared on CNN’s State of the Union yesterday.

Yeah, he’s an a**hole,” said Jennings. “It’s not the first time he’s been an a**hole. That won’t be the last time he’s been an a**hole. But that’s what it is now. So people like it. And I know people are going to slough it off as well, ‘This is just a tough political campaign.’”

“The man is serving the United States in uniform overseas. So it’s a below-the-belt shot against someone who is not going to beat him for the nomination,” Jennings added.

Haley herself responded with a tweet. She said, “Michael is deployed serving our country, something you know nothing about. Someone who continually disrespects the sacrifices of military families has no business being commander in chief.”

She used subsequent tweets to highlight other remarks Trump has made that many viewed as disrespectful to those in the military. At a campaign rally, she told Trump to stop saying things behind her back: “Get on a debate stage and say it to my face.”

Melania finally spotted

Although Haley concentrated her criticism of Trump on his disrespect to those deployed overseas in service to their country, many on the internet took him to task for another reason. How can he attack someone for their spouse not being on the campaign trail when Melania Trump has all but vanished? Since Trump announced he was running again last year, Melania has not joined her husband at any campaign rally across the US.

Melania was, coincidentally, spotted on Saturday night. According to several of those present, including chief Trump devotee and failed GOP candidate Laura Loomer, she attended an event at Mar-A-Lago, with her “super star husband”.

Again, online, few people seemed convinced by the show of “support”.

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