Donald Trump claimed he “purposely” meant to “interpose” the names of former House speaker Nancy Pelosi (Democrat, California) and Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley during his January 6 mix-up last month.
“It’s very hard to be sarcastic when I interpose. I’m not a Nicki fan and I’m not a Pelosi fan. And when I purposely interpose names they said, ‘He didn’t know Pelosi from Nikki from tricky Nikki, tricky Dicky,’” the former president said at a South Carolina rally on Wednesday.
“I interpose and they make a big deal out of it. I said, ‘No, no, I think they both stink, they have something in common, they both stink.’ And remember this, when I make a statement like that about Nikki that means she will never be running for vice president.”
Trump’s remarks arrived weeks after he named Haley ― his Republican rival, a former United Nations ambassador and ex-South Carolina governor ― as the person “in charge of security” during the January 6, 2021 insurrection.
The House speaker cannot direct the National Guard and isn’t in charge of security at the Capitol.
Haley, in response, questioned the mental fitness of the current Republican front-runner –– who has repeatedly bragged about his performance on a cognitive test –– and suggested he’s “not as sharp as” he used to be.
Critics on X were quick to mock the former president, pointing out that he didn’t accurately use the word “interpose.”