DeSantis touts slavery abolition as GOP’s ‘top achievement’ after Haley’s Civil War explanation

ANKENY, Iowa – Gov. Ron DeSantis touted that the abolition of slavery as a “top achievement” of the Republican Party, when commenting on a response presidential candidate Nikki Haley gave about the Civil War on the campaign trail.

“It’s interesting, the Republican Party was founded to put a stop to the growth of slavery in this country,” DeSantis said during an interview. “And the abolition of slavery remains the party’s top achievement.”

“And it was a partisan achievement because the people that were fighting [Abraham] Lincoln, they were Democrats,” he added. “And so the Republican Party did that and that’s something you should acknowledge and be proud of as a Republican.”

Haley became the center of media attention after she gave a response to what the Civil War was about, without mentioning “slavery.”

“What was the cause of the United States Civil War?” a New Hampshire voter asked this week.

“Well, don’t come with an easy question […] the cause of the Civil War was, basically, how the government was gonna run,” she said. “The freedoms, and what people could or couldn’t do – what do you think the cause of the Civil War was?”

The voter responded saying they were “not running for president.”

Haley continued to reference issues with the “role of government” and the “rights” of people.

“It’s astonishing to me that you answer that question without mentioning the word ‘slavery,’” the voter said, to which Haley moved to the next question.

Haley later clarified to the New Hampshire Journal that “of course” the Civil War was about slavery.

She also argued that the Democratic Party was “sending plants” to her campaign events and the person who asked the question was now of them.

“It was definitely a Democrat plant,” she said. “When I asked him, he didn’t want to answer. He didn’t give reporters his name.”

Other elected officials, including Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., spoke out in concern over Haley’s comments.

“Psst Nikki… the answer is slavery PERIOD,” Donalds said on social media.

“This really doesn’t matter because Trump is going to be the nominee,” he said. “Trump 2024!”