Ramaswamy Uses Nikki Haley’s First Name in Attack That Has Critics Raising Eyebrows

GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley is nonplussed by Republican Vivek Ramaswamy’s reference to her birth name on his campaign website.

Ramaswamy referred to Haley as “lying Namrata” (sic), apparently alluding to her Indian origin. The initially misspelled name on his website has since been corrected, according to a Fox News report.

The former South Carolina governor and U.N. ambassador expressed her decision to avoid “childish name-calling.”

“Ramaswamy should know better than that,” Haley remarked during a Fox News interview.

Ramaswamy’s campaign website, titled “TRUTH. Over myth,” aims to address Haley’s criticisms of his foreign policy stances. One notable point of contention is Ramaswamy’s views on U.S. support for Israel.

Haley brought up the issue during the first GOP presidential nomination debate and later at a town hall in Indian Land, S.C.

“WRONG. Keep lying, Namrata (sic) Randhawa,” Ramaswamy said on his website, the report noted. “The desperation is showing.”

The name “Nimarata Randhawa” seems to be a nod to Haley’s birth name, omitting “Nikki,” her legal middle name.

“I mean, he of all people should know better than that,” declared Haley. “But I’ve given up on him knowing better than anything at this point.”

A spokesperson from the Ramaswamy campaign reportedly denied any sinister motive behind the decision to publicize her name.

“How is he making fun of her name?” the spokesperson asked. “His name is Vivek Ramaswamy.”

Matt Whitlock, previously associated with the National Republican Senatorial Committee, commented on the situation, stating that using Nikki Haley’s maiden name as a rebuttal seemed unnecessary.

He added that such tactics are typically employed by individuals accusing Haley of concealing her heritage, unaware that “Nikki” is her actual birth name.

During the debate, Haley was the sole candidate to pronounce “Vivek” correctly.

Saat Alety of Fed Hall Policy Advisors expressed his confusion over the use of Haley’s maiden name as a derogatory term.

“Nikki is an extremely common name in Punjabi culture – and it’s her middle name,” said Alety. “Sad to see this from an Indian-American, @VivekRamaswamy.”

During the debate, Haley criticized Ramaswamy for his lack of foreign policy experience.

“He wants to hand Ukraine to Russia, he wants to let China eat Taiwan, he wants to go and stop funding Israel. You don’t do that to friends,” she said of Ramaswamy.

Ramaswamy countered by emphasizing the strength of the U.S.-Israel relationship.

“Our relationship with Israel would never be stronger than by the end of my first term, but it’s not a client relationship, it’s a friendship,” he countered.