Nikki Haley fails to mention slavery when asked about cause of Civil War: “What do you want me to say about slavery?”

In Berlin, New Hampshire, Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley avoided the word “slavery” when asked about the cause of the Civil War at a town hall. A male attendee questioned Haley on the topic, to which she paused before responding. Haley avoided acknowledging slavery as the main reason for the Civil War and emphasized how government was going to run. The exchange was met with some applause from the town hall’s audience but drew criticism on social media.
The confrontation took place in the midst of Haley’s growing momentum in New Hampshire, where she’s been gaining on former President Donald Trump, according to recent polls. Haley has been campaigning on South Carolina’s 2015 removal of the Confederate flag from the State House grounds under her tenure as governor. She often refers to the removal of the Confederate flag as a story about bringing the country together and pitching to voters that “the tone at the top matters.”