Fact-Checking Trump and Haley’s War of Words

As voters in South Carolina prepare to take to the polls on Saturday, Nikki Haley has vowed to continue challenging former President Donald J. Trump for the Republican nomination — to the dismay of her onetime boss.

In recent weeks, Mr. Trump and Ms. Haley, former governor of South Carolina and U.N. ambassador in the Trump administration, have dialed up their attacks on each other.

Mr. Trump has mocked the absence of Ms. Haley’s husband, Maj. Michael Haley, a National Guardsman who is deployed to Africa. His campaign suggested that her staying in the race, despite being well behind Mr. Trump in delegates, was “like any wailing loser hellbent on an alternative reality.” Ms. Haley has said that her rival has “gotten more unstable and unhinged” and that he has “mental deficiencies.”

But while attacking each other’s record and policies, both have turned to false and misleading claims.

Here’s a fact check.

WHAT WAS SAID

“Every poll shows that he can’t beat Biden. Some are down by five, some are down by seven. On his best day, it’s margin of error.”
— Ms. Haley, referring to Mr. Trump during a Fox News town hall this month

False. National general election polls do show a tight race in a potential Trump-Biden rematch and Ms. Haley has emphasized select polls that show her beating Mr. Biden by double digits. But Mr. Trump comes in slightly higher than his successor in many — though not all — surveys.