Trump Mixes Up Pelosi and Haley in Remarks on Jan. 6, Faces Criticism

During a rally in Concord, New Hampshire, former President Donald Trump appeared to mistakenly interchange former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley with Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) while discussing the Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021.

Addressing the crowd, Trump remarked on the size of the audience, stating, “You know when [Haley] comes here she gets like nine people, and the press never reports the crowds, you know.” He then made baseless claims about the destruction of information related to Jan. 6, falsely asserting that Nikki Haley was in charge of security and alleging that an offer of 10,000 soldiers was turned down.

In his remarks, Trump seemingly confused Nikki Haley for the former House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi. Pelosi’s office previously refuted allegations that blamed her for Capitol security issues on the day of the riot, emphasizing that she had no more control over security than Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

The National Guard, it was clarified, is not under the direction of the House Speaker. Footage from House select committee hearings investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection showed Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer discussing the Capitol attack with Cabinet members and governors.

Responding to the mix-up, President Biden’s campaign took the opportunity to criticize Trump. They wrote on social media, “A deeply confused Trump confuses Nancy Pelosi and Nikki Haley multiple times: Nikki Haley was in charge on January 6. They don’t want to talk about that.”