Nikki Haley excoriates Trump and his team over MSG rally 'bromance'

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email to get exclusive U.S. reporting and analysis delivered to your inbox

Get our free Inside Washington email

Nikki Haley has criticized Donald Trump and his team for their “bromance” and “masculinity” issues after she made a series of “edgy” comments about Kamala Harris at his Madison Square Garden rally.

The former United Nations ambassador appeared on Fox News Special report on Tuesday, less than an hour after the vice president concluded her closing argument to voters at the Ellipse in Washington, DC.

Haley, a former Republican presidential candidate who endorsed Trump at the Republican National Convention in July, criticized the Trump campaign as “overly masculine” and alienating female voters at his rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday night.

“They also need to be careful about how they talk about women,” she told Fox News political anchor Bret Baier.

“This bromance and this masculinity stuff is bordering on the point of making women uncomfortable.”

Haley also criticized a vulgar attack ad from Elon Musk's America PAC in which the narrator calls Harris a “big ol' C-word.”

“You have affiliated PACs running ads about calling Kamala the C-word,” she said.

“Or there were speakers at Madison Square Garden who referred to her and her pimps,” she added, referring to Trump donor Grant Cardone's warning that the vice president and “her pimps” would destroy the United States. if she were elected president.

“That’s not the way to win women,” Haley said.

The former South Carolina governor also criticized the campaign's decision to allow Tony Hinchcliffe to appear on stage at the New York rally, where the controversial comedian sparked outrage by calling Puerto Rico a “floating island of trash.”

“This is not the time to criticize Puerto Rico or Latinos. This is not the time to become overly masculine,” Haley said.

“You were right to denounce the comedian. They need to tell Puerto Ricans how much they appreciate them. They need to tell Latinos that.”

Haley has criticized the Trump campaign's rhetoric regarding women before.

Last month, she called on Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, to stop questioning Harris' intellect.

“You don’t have to call Kamala stupid. She didn't come this far by accident, you know, she's here,” she continued Fox & friends. “You don't have to go and talk about intelligence, looks or anything else. Just focus on the guidelines.”

On Tuesday, Haley again called for a shift in focus, telling Baier that now is the time for Trump to stick to the script and talk about policy rather than attacking his rival's personality.

Despite Haley's concerns and the Trump campaign's recent controversies, the former lawmaker said she remains “on standby” to serve on the Trump campaign less than a week before Election Day.

“It’s their campaign’s decision about what he needs in these final final days,” she said.