Former President Trump has recently targeted potential presidential candidate Nikki Haley with false claims about her heritage and citizenship. On his social media platforms, Trump has referred to Haley as 'Nikki Nimrata Haley,' purposely misspelling her first name and putting her middle name, Nimrata, in scare quotes. Trump has also shared a baseless claim from a far-right outlet suggesting that Haley may not be a U.S. citizen, using it to question her eligibility for the presidency or vice presidency. However, the truth is that Nikki Haley, born in Bamberg, South Carolina, is a U.S. citizen and the child of immigrants from India's Punjab province.
This is not the first time that the former president has attempted to paint political opponents and perceived enemies as less American. In the past, Trump falsely claimed that former President Obama's birth certificate was missing, perpetuating the debunked 'birther' conspiracy theory. He also repeatedly emphasized Obama's middle name, Hussein, to make him sound foreign or un-American.
