Republican Presidential candidateNikki Haleyon Thursday acknowledged that the Civil War was fought over slavery after facing criticism for an answer she gave at a town hall one night prior, when she failed to mention slavery when asked about the cause of the Civil War.
After an attendee asked Haley, “What was the cause of the United States Civil War?” the 51-year-old Republican responded, “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. What do you think the cause of the Civil War was?”
The questioner then acknowledged that he wasn’t “the one running for president,” before Haley continued with her response.
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“I mean, I think it always comes down to the role of government,” she said, before emphasizing the importance of “capitalism” and “economic freedom.”
After the town hall attendee noted that Haley hadn’t made any mention of slavery — which was central to the Civil War being fought — Haley then asked, “What do you want me to say about slavery?” before adding, “Next question.”
President Joe Biden was quick to seize on the moment, taking to social media to write, “It was about slavery,” along with a clip of the exchange.
On Thursday, in an appearance on a New Hampshire radio show, Haley said, “Of course the Civil War was about slavery. We know that. That’s the easy part of it," before going on to elaborate on her earlier answer,The Washington Postreports.
“I want to nip it in the bud. Yes, we know the Civil War was about slavery. But more than that, what’s the lesson in all this?” Haley said in the radio interview. “That freedom matters. And individual rights and liberties matter for all people. That’s the blessing of America. That was a stain on America when we had slavery. But what we want is [to] never relive it, never let anyone take those freedoms away again.”
Haley — the former governor of South Carolina who served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under Trump from January 2017until her resignation in December 2018— officially declared her candidacy for president in February, announcing her 2024 run on social media with a promise to prioritize fiscal responsibility, border security and foreign relations.
Since then, she’s seen an uptick in popularity, and is currentlysecond behind Trump in the most recent New Hampshire polls.
source: people.com
