Donald Trump and Nikki Haley Ramp Up Attacks As New Hampshire Primary Looms

Donald Trump and Nikki Haley have ramped up their attacks on each other ahead of Tuesday's New Hampshire primary.

Haley, a former U.N. ambassador and former South Carolina governor, was narrowly beaten to second place by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in Iowa. But she is hoping that her appeal with independent and unaffiliated voters will propel her to a strong enough finish in New Hampshire to establish herself as the main alternative to Trump, the front-runner in the race.

While campaigning in New Hampshire on Saturday, she questioned whether Trump is mentally capable of serving a second term. It came a day after the former president repeatedly appeared to confuse Haley with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi during a campaign speech.

At one event, Haley said that Trump had been having a "temper tantrum" about her when he mistakenly said that she was in charge of security at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, when a mob of Trump supporters stormed the building in a bid to stop the certification of President Joe Biden's 2020 election victory.

"Let's be clear. I wasn't in the Capitol on January 6. I wasn't in office on January 6. He mentioned it three times. He got confused," she said.

Haley also brought up Trump's other recent gaffes, including when he mixed up President Joe Biden and former president Barack Obama.

"He got confused and said he was running against Obama. He never ran against Obama," she said. "Don't put our country at risk like this."

Haley also said "when you're dealing with the pressures of the presidency, we can't have someone else that we question whether they're mentally fit to do this" at an event in Keene.

At his rally in Manchester on Saturday night, Trump said he had taken a cognitive test and "aced it."

"I'll let you know when I go bad," he added. "I really think I'll be able to tell you. I feel my mind is stronger now than it was 25 years ago. Is that possible?"

Trump also ramped up his criticism of Haley and questioned her conservative credentials.

He accusing her of making "an unholy alliance with the RINOs, the Never Trumpers" and courting "liberals and Biden supporters."

Haley "is using radical Democrat money to fund the radical Democrat campaign operation she's running," he said.

Trump also sought to undercut Haley by bringing South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster and other leaders from her home state on stage at his rally.

"Almost every politician from South Carolina is endorsing me," he said.

Newsweek has contacted the Trump and Haley campaigns for comment via email.