Show her the money: Did Donald Trump’s threat deter Nikki Haley donors?

Sumter, S.C. – When Republican rival Nikki Haley refused to exit the 2024 presidential race after losing the New Hampshire primary, Donald Trump came after her. His move: Put a chokehold on her money.

Anyone who gave Haley a dime, the former president warned, would be "permanently barred from the MAGA camp."But so far, those donors have refused to kowtow to the GOP front-runner’s demands, which they say exemplifies why Republicans should go in a different direction.

Instead, donors continue refilling Haley’s coffers, allowing her to spend heavily in South Carolina ahead of the state’s contest Saturday.

Every time (Trump) opens his mouth, he offends someone," said Munir Lalani, a Haley donor and Pakistani immigrant who attended a fundraiser for Haley in Dallas last Thursday.

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Lalani, a registered Republican who voted for Trump in 2016, and his wife have forked over $30,000 combined to the Haley campaign and two pro-Haley groups in 2023, according to Federal Election Commission records.

Trump’s gauntlet shows how this year’s election has been tinted by his grievances as much as any policy differences with President Joe Biden and the Democrats.

And it is one conservative-leaning Haley donors large and small feel is a preview of how the former president plans to retaliate against anyone who dares oppose him should he return to the White House. Haley’s campaign has eagerly put a spotlight on the threat as further proof that if Trump targets diehard GOP voters, he will alienate independents and moderates in the general election.

"I have no fear of Trump's retribution," Haley said Tuesday at an event in Greenville, S.C. "I'm not looking for anything from him."

Part of how Haley has been able to withstand Trump's onslaught is tied to the job she filled in the former president's administration.

Her stint as United Nations ambassador served as a sturdy bridge for her presidential campaign by giving her a powerful New York base and access to events with wealthy bankers, corporate executives and deep-pocketed philanthropists.She was not known to hobnob at the U.N. – but she went on to make millions delivering private speeches, working as a consultant and serving on corporate boards.

The financial backing from Wall Street, including from some Democrats, has become fodder for her political opponents.