By Wonderwall.com Editors
1:00pm PST, Jan 5, 2024
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Amid intense backlash, Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley has backpedaled on her failure to mention slavery when asked at a town hall what caused the American Civil War.
"I mean, of course, the Civil War was about slavery," the former United Nations ambassador and South Carolina governor told New Hampshire radio host Jack Heath on Dec. 28, according to CBS News. "We know that … that's the easy part of it. What I was saying was, what does it mean to us today? What it means to us today is about freedom," she continued. "That's what that was all about. It was about individual freedom, it was about economic freedom, it was about individual rights."
The presidential hopeful was clarifying her response to a voter who'd asked her, "What was the cause of the United States Civil War?" the day before at a town hall in Berlin, New Hampshire, on Dec. 27.
Keep reading for her now-viral response, then click through to see the reactions from politicians, journalists and Hollywood stars alike…
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Nikki Haley — who's come under fire in the past for defending the Confederate flag in her home state — appeared somewhat stunned by the question.
"I think the cause of the Civil War was basically how government was going to run, the freedoms, and what people could and couldn't do," the former U.N. ambassador and South Carolina governor replied.
"I think it always comes down to the role of government, and what the rights of the people are. And I will always stand by the fact that I think government was intended to secure the rights and freedoms of the people. It was never meant to be all things to all people. Government doesn't need to tell you how to live your life," she added.
When the questioner, who later identified himself to reporters as "Patrick," said it was "astonishing" that Haley hadn't mentioned "slavery" in her response, she shrugged and asked, "What do you want me to say about slavery?"
Patrick replied, "You've answered my question. Thank you."
Reactions to the awkward exchange quickly flooded social media and beyond, with politicians and stars from both sides of the aisle weighing in.
Keep reading to see what Ron DeSantis, Joe Biden, Ana Navarro and more are saying about Haley's comments…
MORE: Secretary of state rules Donald Trump is ineligible for office: Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Don Jr., Alex Jones and more react
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"I just think that this shows this is not a candidate that's ready for primetime," Florida Governor Ron DeSantis told reporters in Iowa on Dec. 28, according to the Des Moines Register.
The Republican governor, who is also hoping to snag the GOP nomination in the 2024 presidential race, called Haley's response an "incomprehensible word salad," adding, "It's not that difficult to identify and acknowledge the role slavery played in the Civil War."
Sharing a video of Haley's Civil War comments on X, DeSantis's campaign simply wrote, "Yikes."
MORE: Colorado Supreme Court rules Trump is ineligible for office: Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Megyn Kelly, Don Jr., more react
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"It was about slavery." –President Joe Biden on X, sharing a video of Nikki Haley's comments
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"Our nation and its leaders must never be afraid to speak the truth about our past." –George Takei, reposting Joe Biden's "It was about slavery" post on Threads
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"She's smart and she knows better. And she didn't say it because she's a racist, because she's not. I know her well, and I don't believe Nikki [Haley] has a racist bone in her body," former New Jersey Governor and Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie said at a town hall in Epping, New Hampshire, on Dec. 28.
"The reason she did it is just as bad, if not worse, and should make everybody concerned about her candidacy. She did it because she's unwilling to offend anyone by telling the truth," he continued.
"If she's unwilling to stand up and say that slavery is what caused the civil war because she's afraid of offending constituents in some other parts of the country. If she's afraid to say that Donald Trump is unfit… What's going to happen when she has to stand up to Vladimir Putin and President Xi?"
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"Nikki Haley wants grace for using a poor choice of words when, after I misspoke in some comments involving her, she didn't offer me that same grace, immediately and very publicly took me to task, and then fundraised off of it. However, I'm glad she clarified what she should have said. And, In the spirit of the season, let's see if her actions match her corrected words moving forward." –Don Lemon on X
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"[Ron] DeSantis tried to defend the idea there was a positive side to slavery. [Nikki] Haley couldn't bring herself to admit slavery caused the Civil War. This is cowardly white-washing of history to accommodate what they think the GOP base wants & does not want to hear. It is shameful." –"The View" host Ana Navarro on X
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"🤦🏾♀️🤦🏾♀️🤦🏾♀️🤦🏾♀️🤦🏾♀️" –Holly Robinson Peete, sharing footage of Nikki Haley's Civil War comments on X
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"What caused the Civil War has become a gotcha question for the @GOP. That's where we're at." –California Governor Gavin Newsom on X
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"Ambassador Haley's blatant refusal to say the Civil War was fought over slavery is alarming, disturbing, and should have no place in the political discourse. … The GOP was gone from the Party of Lincoln, which once pushed him to emancipate all slaves, to one that unabashedly celebrates the Confederacy — a separatist government formed explicitly to preserve slavery. This is a fall from grace for Ambassador Haley, who as governor took the overdue action to remove Confederate symbols from South Carolina's flag.
"We cannot sit here and pretend like slavery was ancient history. For many of us, it's only a generation or two removed. This summer, I took my daughters to the former Edgefield, South Carolina, plantation where my great-grandfather, Coleman, was a slave. We stepped into the hut where he and an untold number of other slaves were held against their will, worked the land, and eventually separated when Coleman was sent to Florida to pay off a debt. He received his freedom because the Union won the Civil War.
"Yet we are here, more than 150 years later, still fighting for his memory as well as the countless Black Americans who never lived in freedom. That struggle will continue until we all understand our history, so it can guide us to be a more just nation."
–the Rev. Al Sharpton, in part, in a statement on Facebook
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"Why do white people keep putting an asterisk next to slavery? Like it's #BarryBonds home run record! 'Ah!! That doesn't count!'" –D.L. Hughley
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"Slavery was an evil institution that needed to be abolished. Why is that so difficult for some to acknowledge?" –House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on X
