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With the crucial South Carolina Republican primary approaching later this month (February 24), Indian-American Republican presidential contender Nikki Haley has launched a sharp attack on her 2024 presidential election opponents.

She branded both former Republican colleague Donald Trump and the incumbent Democratic President Joe Biden as “Grumpy Old Men.”

HALEY AND TRUMP, BOTH EYEING SOUTH CAROLINA

Nikki Haley, the 52-year-old former UN Ambassador, and ex-South Carolina Governor, remains the sole Republican candidate challenging the 77-year-old former president Donald Trump for the Republican nomination.

The upcoming primary on February 24 in South Carolina holds immense significance, with a Trump victory potentially solidifying his position as the presumptive nominee, while a win for Haley could significantly boost her candidacy within the Republican Party.

Both Republicans, Trump and Haley, are actively campaigning in South Carolina, which is Haley’s home state, where she has served for 8 straight years as the Governor.

HALEY CALLS TRUMP AND BIDEN ‘GRUMPY OLD MEN’

Haley’s campaign launched a series of political ads titled “Grumpy Old Men,” hinting at the age of both leading contenders.

Using the imagery reminiscent of the 1993 film “Grumpy Old Men,” Haley posted a modified version of the film poster on social media, featuring the faces of Joe Biden and Donald Trump in place of the on-screen actors.

Biden, at 81, currently holds the record as the oldest president in American history. At 77, he became the oldest President of the USA.

In a recent press release, the Nikki Haley campaign released the second instalment of the “Grumpy Old Men” series, specifically targeting Trump’s refusal to engage in a debate with her.

The release questioned Trump’s claim of being mentally sharp and raised the possibility that he might be avoiding tough questions, characterising him as a “grumpy, old man.”

Despite being 26 points behind Trump in South Carolina, Haley has managed to reduce the gap by nearly five points in recent weeks.

Nationally, however, Donald Trump maintains a significant lead of 54 points over Nikki Haley.

‘THE REMATCH NOBODY WANTS’ – NIKKI HALEY

Nikki Haley has emphasised the need for a fresh leadership perspective and criticised the prospect of a Biden-Trump rematch, calling them, “grumpy old men.”

“We need someone who can work eight years to get our country back on track, to heal our country, and to make sure we get our economy strong and that we prevent wars,” Haley told CNN in an interview.

She added, the country can’t afford to have either of the two and called them “grumpy old men”.

“This is not about being disrespectful. This is about the fact that we need to have people — this is Congress too. We need to have people at the top of their game. These are issues of national security. These are issues about the future of our economy. We can’t have it,” Haley further added.

The latest CNN poll indicated that in a hypothetical matchup between Trump and Biden, Trump leads by only four points, just beyond the margin of error. In a comparison between Biden and Haley, the Indian-American candidate takes 52 per cent, while Biden receives 39 per cent.

“I think the reality is, 70 per cent of Americans don’t want to see a Biden-Trump rematch. I mean, that’s just a fact. The fact that we would have two 80-year-old candidates running for president is absurd. We have got a country in disarray and a world on fire,” Haley said.

Haley asserted that the nation cannot afford to have two octogenarian candidates, citing concerns about mental decline.

“That’s just a fact. Let’s get this right. I think older people see it too. They know that we need a new generational leader. They know that we need to start focusing on the issues at hand, stop all the chaos, all the division and stop these investigations that are happening with both Biden and Trump, and start focusing on what we’re going to do to help the American people,” Haley said.

As the South Carolina primary draws closer, Haley’s spokesperson Brittany Yanick said that the Indian-American will spend the next 23 days campaigning across South Carolina, reminding voters about her record of taking on the establishment and fighting for taxpayers over the political class.

“Good luck to Donald Trump if he tries to lie about Nikki’s record. South Carolinians aren’t buying it because it’s a great day in South Carolina,” said Brittany Yanick.

She urged a focus on new generational leadership and tackling pressing issues rather than engaging in divisive investigations.

Meanwhile, Steven Cheung, Trump’s spokesperson, alleged that Haley is resorting to throwing temper tantrums on social media site, X because she quite frankly doesn’t have the funds to run an effective campaign.

“That’s a tell-tale sign of a dying and desperate campaign that’s quickly going nowhere. What do you get when you have a broken campaign with a terrible candidate? A one-way ticket to irrelevancy. When she finally drops out, she’ll be asking herself if all of this was worth it,” alleged Steven Cheung.