Nikki Haley made a surprise appearance this weekend Saturday night live cold open, where she went back and forth with James Austin Johnson’s portrayal of Donald Trump and referenced her December controversy over her Civil War comments.
The Republican presidential candidate, 52, announced the classic line “live from New York” at the start of Saturday’s show, after appearing in a sketch about her town hall controversy late last year, in which she did not mention the word “slavery.” ” to the question about the cause of the civil war.
The former South Carolina governor appeared during the “CNN Republican Presidential Town Hall” show alongside Gayle King Punkie Johnson, Charles Barkley Keenan Thompson and Trump’s James Austin Johnson.
The skit itself took place during a town hall in South Carolina, where potential voters asked questions about Johnson’s portrayal of the former president. Later in the skit, Haley herself appeared, asking the fictional Trump why he didn’t want to “debate Nikki Haley.”
Nikki Haley suggests racism in America is on the decline, claims ‘We were never a racist country’
“Oh my God, that’s her. The woman who was in charge of security on January 6,” Johnson responded as Trump. “It’s Nancy Pelosi!”
After Thompson’s Barkley clarification, Haley then quipped, “Are you okay, Donald? You might need a mental fitness test.”
“You know what, I did, I took the test and I passed it, OK,” he replied. “Perfect score, they said I’m 100% mental. And I’m competent because I’m a man, that’s why a woman should never run our economy. Women are terrible with money. In fact, a woman I know recently asked me for $83.3 million.”
Haley and Johnson’s Trump then continued their spat about the results of the last election and Trump’s age, before SNL host and Emmy winner Ayo Edebiri had a question for Haley.
“I was just curious what you would say was the main cause of the civil war?” Edebiri, 28, asked the politician. “Um, and do you think it starts with ‘s’ and ends with ‘lavery’?”
“Yeah, I probably should have said that the first time,” Haley replied before introducing the show: “And live from New York, it’s Saturday night!”
Nikki Haley appears at a January 2024 campaign event in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire.
Adam Glanzman/Bloomberg via Getty
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The skit, which led to reaction on social networks for Haley’s appearance on the show, it came more than a month after Haley failed to mention slavery when asked about the cause of the Civil War in December.
Representative for Saturday night live did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Sunday.
During a town hall in December, Haley argued that the cause of the civil war was “basically how the government is going to work, the liberties and what people can and can’t do.” After further explanation, a town hall visitor asked Haley specifically about slavery, to which she replied, “What do you want me to say about slavery?” before adding “Next question.”
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The Republican candidate has since acknowledged that the Civil War was fought over slavery, when she said on a New Hampshire radio show that “of course” it was about slavery that same week.
“I want to nip it in the bud. Yes, we know the Civil War was about slavery. But more than that, what is the lesson in all this?” Haley said then. “That freedom is important. And individual rights and freedoms are important for all people. That is the blessing of America. It was a stain on America when we had slavery. But what we want is [to] never relive that, never let anyone take those freedoms away from you again.”
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Republican presidential candidate former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley speaks at her first night rally at the Grappone Conference Center on January 23, 2024 in Concord, New Hampshire.
Tasos Katopodis/Getty
Haley has since made headlines for the claims in the January interview Fox & Friends host The Brian Kilmeade that America has “never been a racist country” as she discussed how she experienced racism growing up as a child of Indian immigrants. A spokesman for Haley’s campaign later told CNN that “America has always had racism, but America has never been a racist country.”
During the episode View last month, Vice President Kamala Harris was asked about Haley’s comments. “The history of racism in America should never be the subject of a soundtrack or a question that should elicit a one-sentence answer,” Harris said. “But it cannot be denied … that racism has played a role in our nation’s history.”
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Source: HIS Education