Trump campaign shifts ‘Kiss of Death’ aim from DeSantis to Haley ahead of Iowa caucuses

Former President Donald Trump‘s 2024 operation appears to have slowly transitioned away from attacking Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), opting instead to target former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley who has seen more momentum in the race ahead of the first nominating contests.

In September 2023, Trump’s campaign began a “Kiss of Death Countdown” for DeSantis, based on a timeline reportedly given to the governor by Never Back Down’s then-top strategist Jeff Roe for the Florida governor to turn his campaign’s trajectory around. The countdown’s commencement came after months of merciless attacks from Trump’s campaign and associated super PAC specifically hitting DeSantis while largely ignoring other opponents in the Republican race.

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But on Dec. 28, the campaign made a change and sent out its “Kiss of Death” memo focused on Haley rather than DeSantis. The scathing email marked an elevation in criticism of Haley from the Trump campaign, as well as a shift in focus. “With a pawn like Nikki Haley, the Democrats have their candidate of choice to distract from Crooked Joe Biden’s failures and carry his water against President Trump,” Trump spokesman Steven Cheung wrote.

Two additional “Kiss of Death” memos went out with Haley as the subject on Dec. 29 and Wednesday. Meanwhile, DeSantis hasn’t been targeted by it since Dec. 26.

While DeSantis had entered the race as the only candidate believed to have a fighting chance against Trump, he’s failed to close the gap between himself and the former president while enduring relentless mocking and criticism from Trump and his campaign.

The super PAC supporting Trump’s 2024 bid, MAGA Inc., had followed the campaign’s suit during most of the primary cycle in focusing its aim on DeSantis.

However, on Dec. 19, the group went up with a Haley attack ad in New Hampshire, where she has been performing her best. The ad, titled “Really?” says, “New Hampshire can’t afford Nikki ‘High Tax’ Haley.”

The ad is still airing in the Granite State. A spokesperson for MAGA Inc. told the Washington Examiner the group is no longer running any of its ads against DeSantis. In 2023, several ads cut by the PAC were targeting DeSantis, correlating with his decline in the polls.

When the ad launched, Haley spokeswoman Olivia Perez-Cubas said, “Donald Trump’s false attack ad sends a loud and clear message: Nikki Haley is surging and Trump is scared.”

Haley took to X to respond to the spot. “Two days ago, Donald Trump denied our surge in New Hampshire existed. Now, he’s running a negative ad against me. Someone’s getting nervous,” she said, framing the attack as evidence of her threat to the former president.

On social media, Trump’s campaign surrogates and those associated with the super PAC have similarly shifted their attention from critical content of DeSantis to articles and posts scrutinizing Haley’s record as governor of South Carolina and her 2024 campaign.

The noticeable shift in Trumpworld’s strategy comes as Haley continues to ride the enduring wave of momentum following her first debate appearance in August. Haley’s performances at each subsequent debate were also well-received by viewers and increased her polling stature across the board. In New Hampshire, specifically, Haley has soared, coming within 14 points of Trump in polling of likely Republican primary voters.

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That momentum led to Haley overtaking DeSantis for second place in the RealClearPolitics polling average of the 2024 Republican primary on Wednesday. The former U.N. ambassador is now polling at 11%, while DeSantis polls at 10.9%. Trump leads the field at 62.7%.

Trump’s change in focus could also come as a blow to DeSantis despite his ire no longer being fixed on the Florida governor. Even though Trump was attacking DeSantis, the Florida Republican’s campaign had time and again pointed to that as proof that he was the only candidate capable of taking Trump on.