'Stop this farce': Haley buried for blaming a 'Democrat plant' for her Civil War disaster

During the slow news week between Christmas and New Year's Day, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley made herself the center of attention by being unable to answer a simple question about the primary cause of the Civil War.

During a town hall in Berlin, New Hampshire, on Wednesday night, the South Carolina Republican who has been surging in the polls for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination flubbed the question from a voter, and then compounded the problem by demanding, "What do you want me to say about slavery?" when pressed before adding: "Next question."

Forced to clean up her mess that led off every cable news program Thursday morning, Haley called into a New Hampshire radio show and told host Jack Heath that Democrats "are sending plants" to her town halls.

"They want to run against [Donald]Trump. In town halls, I answer every question, and they are planting questions there," she insisted before defensively adding, "Of course the Civil War was about slavery, that's the easy part. Yes, I know it was about slavery. I am from the south."

That led to an avalanche of criticism on social media aimed at Haley for not owning up to the fact that she stumbled.

X user @BrianHJacobson cut right to the chase by writing, "Yes Haley it was a Democrat plant to ask you the gotcha question of.... what caused the Civil War...."

“'A Democrat plant tripped me up with 4th grade history' is not the defense Team Haley thinks it is. Just stop this farce. Go back to Boeing and stop pretending to run for president," @MaxTwain24 advised.

"'A Democrat plant' could be the only reason Nikki Haley couldn't answer such a softball question?" asked Leasha Knight. "Because only Democrats have a problem with slavery?"

Betsy Hogan observed, "It would appear that Nikki Haley doesn't understand the difference btw 'a town hall' and 'a party rally'. If she can't deal with the presence of Democrats without calling them 'plants' then she's not equipped to be President."

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Others took exception with Haley calling a conversation about America's ugly history of slavery "the easy part."

MSNBC's Sam Stein noted, "Haley when asked last night what caused the Civil War: 'Don't come with an easy question.' Haley today when clarifying that it was slavery: 'that's the easy part of it.'"

Former Rep. Denver Riggleman (R-VA) offered some sarcastic advice, writing, "Spin hard."

In keeping with the holiday season, Joseph Britt joked, "Most people don’t know that when Charlie Brown asked if anyone knew what Christmas was all about, Linus’ first response was that Christmas was all about freedom and what government does. Everyone booed, including Charlie Brown, so that scene got cut."

In the unkindest cut, Jeremy Newberger invoked Sarah Palin's notorious difficulties answering "gotcha questions," writing, "That Democrat plant might as well have asked Nikki Haley what newspapers and magazines she reads. These Democrats with their tricky gotcha questions."

The DeSantis War Room also piled on with, "CLEANUP ON AISLE 5 LISTEN: Haley embarrassingly attempts to walk back her Civil War flub, explains that she couldn’t answer the simple question because the voter was a 'Democrat plant.' Nikki Haley doesn't have what it takes to win."