Nikki Haley says ‘of course’ Civil War was about slavery, following criticism

Nikki Haley has confirmed the Civil War was caused by a fight over slavery after failing to mention it when asked about the conflict’s origins.

Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley speaks at a town hall campaign event in New Hampshire. Picture: AFP.

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley said Thursday the Civil War was caused by a fight over slavery as she tried to tamp down a political uproar hours after she failed to mention it when asked about the conflict’s origins.

“Of course the Civil War was about slavery, we know that, that’s the easy part of it,” she said on a Pulse of NH radio show. “I’m from the South. Of course you know it’s about slavery.” The earlier omission of slavery by the former South Carolina governor at an event Wednesday evening was particularly notable given that the legacy of the Civil War and race relations have been a constant in her decadeslong political career.

The high-profile incident in the early primary state of New Hampshire came as Haley is trying to stake her claim as the top challenger to Donald Trump in a GOP primary race the former president has dominated so far.

The remarks Wednesday had drawn criticism from Democrats and Republicans, while also prompting news outlets and political foes to resurface comments she made earlier in her political career that also minimised the role of slavery in the war.

The fresh controversy was sparked by a question from a town hall attendee in Berlin, N.H., who asked: “What was the cause of the United States Civil War?” Calling it not an “easy question,” Haley said the cause was “basically how government was gonna run – the freedoms and what people could and couldn’t do.”

She added, “We need to make sure that we do all things so that individuals have the liberties so that they can have freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to do or be anything they want to be without government getting in the way.”

The man then said that it was “astonishing” that she didn’t mention slavery. “What do you want me to say about slavery?” Haley responded. “Next question.”

In the radio interview Thursday, Haley said her answer on Wednesday was intended to address what the legacy of the Civil War means to Americans today, pointing to protecting individual rights. “Our goal is to make sure, no, we never go back to the stain of slavery, but what’s the lesson in all of that? That we need to make sure that every person has freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to do and be anything they want to be” without government interference, she said.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is battling with Haley to be the primary GOP alternative to Trump, said the remarks showed Haley wasn’t a serious candidate.

“I noticed that Nikki Haley has had some problems with some basic American history,” he told reporters. “She was asked a very simple question and responded with just a really incomprehensible word salad,” he said, adding: “I just think that this shows, this is not a candidate that’s ready for prime time.” Cody Hoefert, a former co-chair of the Republican Party of Iowa and a DeSantis supporter, said the episode shows Haley lacks strong convictions.

“Anytime she has to venture off of her proven talking points, she isn’t sure what she should say and therefore she gets herself into trouble,” he said. The incident shows “she says what she’s told to say, instead of what she truly believes.” DeSantis was campaigning Thursday in Iowa, where the first GOP nomination balloting will be held on Jan. 15.

Trump’s campaign didn’t respond to an email seeking comment. The super PAC backing him said the incident showed Haley is struggling.

President Biden also sought to highlight Haley’s response, posting online a video of the exchange and stating: “It was about slavery.” When questions of race relations arise, Haley often points to her role as governor in taking down the Confederate flag from the South Carolina Capitol grounds after years of controversy. The removal followed the 2015 mass shooting at Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C., where a white gunman killed nine Black people at a Bible study class.

Jim Merrill, a GOP strategist in New Hampshire who has advised past presidential campaigns, played down the episode’s significance for his state’s Jan. 23 primary and suggested Haley understands the horrors of slavery.

“This is a woman of colour, who led in South Carolina, who had the guts to take down the Confederate flag when no one else would,” he said. “I think people are going to, you know, look at her in the totality of circumstances about her career and everything else.”

Dow Jones